


By Any Other Name

by choking_on_roses



Category: Kuroko no Basuke | Kuroko's Basketball
Genre: Biracial Character, Coincidences, Copious Fluff, Fairly Canon Compliant, M/M, Pure!mine, Sexual Content, they're all idiots except for Kuroko
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-09-07
Updated: 2015-10-23
Packaged: 2018-04-19 12:59:50
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 22,870
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4747358
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/choking_on_roses/pseuds/choking_on_roses
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Taiga brushes off his phone and stares at the image again, absorbing every detail, hoping that maybe the longer he pours over it the less it'll look like the same face. But it doesn't change at all; the dark skin, intense blue eyes, that hair the colour of midnight; no, that's all more than familiar.</p><p>What isn't familiar is the bright smile on his face, as if he's actually happy for once in his life. </p><p> </p><p>(or: it turns out Kagami's not the only one running a basketball blog. This might be Fate screwing him over.)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> My KnB debut. *sweating intensifies*

To: **orange-with-stripes**

idk id tell someone man. its so much better when u got someone to talk to abt it- i was feeling really shitty and confused when i started having thoughts like that. i felt dirty or somehting, idk. and like, id be looking at dudes on my team in the showers and shit and just like. you know. so i told my best friend, she's so cool? SHE FUCKIN LAUGHED AT ME AND SAID IT WAS OBVIOUS. since then ive been able to talk to her about like...guys and stuff and its the biggest relief having someone. just saying.

keeping that part of you secret's gonna eat at you. i know.

anyway wahtever, i give lame advicce but good luck?

**-stealingabiteofyourlunch**

 

 

 

To: **stealingabiteofyourlunch**

yeah but you're friend is a girl!!! my best friends a guy, what if he things im gay for him or something and it gets akward...

idk im so goddamn nervous. but i guess...i gotta try it, i cant stay like this forever. thanx

**-orange-with-stripes**

 

 

 

To: **orange-with-stripes**

go get em, Tiger.

**-stealingabiteofyourlunch**

 

 

 

Taiga sighs and closes his phone, setting it on his bedside table. He shifts, kicking his feet free of the comforter, hugging his pillow to his chest. His stomach knots up worse than it does the night before a big game. He'd come out as gay on the internet several weeks ago, after much introspection. Considering the fact that most of his tumblr followers were there for the basketball posts, his expectations of their acceptance had been low. He'd made a post about how sorry he was about it; how he'd thought most people would be disgusted- Japanese people held some mighty strong prejudices compared to California, not that most of the Southern states were accepting of it. But L.A. was different. He missed the acceptance he'd had there. So far, not a single soul in Japan, save for Tatsuya, knows Taiga's orientation.

The whole business had passed mercifully quietly; the post got a few likes, a 'congrats,' and then...fanmail, from a blog that'd been following him for some time. One of the ones that mainly only liked his Japanese posts, and yes, the message was in Japanese. A comfort right from the start, and the person said they'd recently figured out they were bisexual and understood how it felt being so... _different_ in sports culture.

Stealingabiteofyourlunch. _Thought you were only following me for American recipes._ Basketball, food, movies, clothes- a lot of the things on Lunch's blog appealed to Taiga, so he'd followed back. Since then, they'd exchanged a lot of messages, mostly about basketball legends and a little about being queer high schoolers in Japan. Lately, Taiga found Lunch's messages a real comfort. Taiga always seemed to fall asleep first, so he'd eagerly check his inbox each morning, hoping for links to basketball game mishaps and the dumb questions Lunch liked to ask in the middle of the night. _Do you think platypuses look cute? idk man they're kinda cute. I want one as a pet._

And despite his protests to the contrary, Lunch did give good advice. Though anxious about the outcome, Taiga feels slightly more settled now that he has a game plan. Tomorrow. Tomorrow he'll tell Kuroko. And hope to god that it doesn't cause any problems for the team.

 

 

 

 

Taiga's exhausted the next day at practice, glad for it more than usual. If he's tired, he can't think too hard about his meeting with Kuroko once they're done. They're going to Maji burger, just like most days. And, also like most days, Taiga's having a difficult time tearing his eyes off the way Kiyoshi's calf muscles flex when he bends to make a shot, the bead of sweat that rolls down the back of his neck and disappears into his jersey. The spark of determination in his eye. Tall is his type. Big, with that handspan wide enough to grip the ball. How would they feel on-

 _Enough._ Basketball. Focus on layups instead. _Damn it._

Taiga decides it's prudent to take a water break, using the collar of his jersey to wipe the sweat off his face.

"You seem distracted today."

He nearly jumps out of his skin, fumbling his water bottle as he turns. Kuroko. When will his silent appearances cease to be so startling? Well, no use tying to lie to him. "Uh. Yeah. It's about...I'll tell you after practice." He pinches the front of his shirt and billows it in and out, fanning himself. He's far sweatier than is normal.

Kuroko stares with those bottomless eyes. "Okay. But Riko will ask questions if you don't pick up the pace." A fervent glance in Riko's direction shows that Kuroko's right; she's eyeing them up with a furrowed brow, hands placed sternly on her hips.

"Shit," Taiga mumbles, trying to avoid eye contact with her. And Kuroko. And...everybody.

"Kagami," Kiyoshi calls. "One-on-one, let's go!" He smiles good-naturedly. Doesn't he get that each of those smiles is like a punch in the heart? No, of course he doesn't. Who would ever suspect how much longing Taiga feels on a day-to-day basis? Well...maybe Kuroko does. He has an incredible sense for these things, after all. Maybe Taiga's coming out story will turn out as happy as Lunch's did.

If they were back in L.A., Taiga would probably ask Kiyoshi on a date, sweaty-palmed as that confession would be. But here, the risks are too great. It wouldn't be worth the outcome. "Yeah," Taiga replies, jogging over to where Kiyoshi waits, ball in hand. No point dwelling on it. For now, he can bask in his anonymity, practicing guarding and blocking, back pressed against front with no suspicion, no awkwardness. This could very well be the last time he gets to do this, so he might as well enjoy the unconscious grinding while he can.

 

 

 

 

 

"Are you going to tell me what's been bothering you?" Kuroko slurps on his shake, eyes fixed on Taiga. Taiga chooses, in turn, to focus on demolishing the pile of burgers in front of him. "That's a lot, even for you," Kuroko points out.

"Shut up, I know," Taiga snaps around a mouthful of bacon and cheese. "I'll go for a run later." Stress eating isn't a new concept to him, but he doesn't need people constantly pointing it out. He finishes two more, staring out the window to avoid Kuroko's intense gaze. Then he shoves the rest aside, licking the burger grease from his fingers. "So I, uh. Wanted to tell you something."

"I got that," Kuroko says mildly, setting his shake down.

"Yeah, I..." Taiga shifts uncomfortably in his seat, trying to figure out the best place to look when he says it. He settles on somewhere just over Kuroko's left shoulder. "So I might- and please don't get freaked out, it has nothing to do with you, 'kay? But I'm...gay? Kinda. So. Yeah."

Kuroko picks up his milkshake and sucks on the straw, resting his chin in his hand. He blinks, then gives Taiga a miniscule smile. " _Kinda_ gay? As in...not entirely gay?"

Taiga feels his face heating up faster than that time he tried shotgunning one of his dad's beers. "I'm not kidding around."

"Neither am I," Kuroko replies. "Are you telling me you're bisexual?"

"No, um. Just gay. I..." He lowers his voice, paranoid. "I like dudes. Do you hate me now?"

"Of course not," Kuroko says. "Besides, I figured it out a long time ago. I was waiting for you to tell me."

"You know more about me than _me,_ " Taiga grumbles, ripping open the paper on a fresh burger, heart feeling like it finally kickstarted in his chest after lying unresponsive for most of the day. There's a ringing in his ears, the ghost of his confession lingering over him, but the pressure's gone. It feels more or less like a normal day.

Unfortunately, Kuroko's not done talking. "I don't think you have a chance with Kiyoshi-senpai."

Taiga struggles not to choke, finally managing to swallow the mass of gluey food in his mouth. And of course Kuroko would know about his little crush, too. "Yeah, I figured he's not into guys."

"I didn't say that," Kuroko says, like he's explaining it to a child. "He's just not into _you,_ Kagami-kun."

Taiga tosses a wrapped burger at Kuroko's chest, not hard enough to do any damage to it but enough to get his point across. "Thanks a lot." But there's a smile on his lips as he watches his best friend fumble to catch the food offered to him, because nothing's going to change between them, and it's a huge relief.

They chat about practice and homework and Nigou, the regular things they always do, until Taiga's pile of burgers is gone and Kuroko's managed to finish all but the last bite of the one Taiga threw at him. Taiga's glad Kuroko isn't quizzing him about his sexuality or giving him funny looks. They walk home together, Kuroko standing the same distance away as he usually does, showing no signs that he's self-conscious walking side by side with his gay friend. Taiga feels like he's mid-jump, scoring the winning basket of the championship game.

As they reach the street corner they usually part ways on, Kuroko adopts his most serious expression, turning to face Taiga under the streetlight. "Thank you for telling me, Kagami-kun."

"Oh, uh." Taiga shuffles the weight of his backpack from one shoulder to the other, toeing a crack in the sidewalk. How dandelions manage to squeeze out of the tiniest holes in the concrete, he'll never understand. They deserve more credit than they get, in his opinion. "Thanks for being so cool about it. I was so scared you were gonna get creeped out...we share water bottles and stuff all the time and I don't...I don't want that to change. But you're the first person I've told here and I promise I'm not gonna be weird and like, talk about it all the time 'cause I don't want to gross you out or-"

"It's not gross," Kuroko interrupts. Taiga's surprised at the force in his voice. Kuroko holds his fist up in front of him, patiently waiting for a reaction.

Taiga bumps it.

"My job is to support you, in basketball and out. That's what friends do." He flashes Taiga a soft smile before heading down his street.

Taiga watches his shadow disappear into the dark, a new tightness in his chest. This time caused by joy.

 

 

 

 

 

To: **stealingabiteofyourlunch**

DUDE IT WORKED I FEEL SO MUCH BETTER

HE WAS TOTALLY COOL WITH IT ~~I COULD FUCKING KISS YOU RN~~ YOU HAVE NO IDEA HOW HAPPY I AM

**-orange-with-stripes**

 

 

 

To: **orange-with-stripes**

fuCK im so happy for you! ~~I could kiss you back~~ I srsly do know how you feel. So fuckign nice being accepted. i still get a lot of grief over bein bi, like ppl dont think i can like both. they think im kidding myself or something but its like, i fucking LOVE. BOOBS. and COCK. im not sorry. those ppl can fuck themselves

**-stealingabiteofyourlunch**

 

 

 

To: **stealingabiteofyourlunch**

....i really admire you're attitude. wish i could be more like that. not towards boobs lmao

**-orange-with-stripes**

 

 

 

To: **orange-with-stripes**

what kind of guys you into, Tiger?

**-stealingabiteofyourlunch**

 

 

 

To: **stealingabiteofyourlunch**

...this is gonna sound really lame but athletes? tall, sturdy...idk, im a big guy (esp. for japan, im 6'3/190cm) so...like a guy i could...fuck this is embarassing but. if i wanted to try riding him or smthng he could take it. sorry for the tmi

**-orange-with-stripes**

 

 

 

To: **orange-with-stripes**

its not tmi. i get it. im kinda into the same type, its nice having someone you dont have to be careful with....i assume. never done it with a guy tbh hahaha

heh ur 2 cm shorter than me btw ;)

**-stealingabiteofyourlunch**

 

 

 

To: **stealingabiteofyourlunch**

damn, hard to find guys you're size around here. theres this one guy on my team i like but...just found out its never gonna happen so. oh well. idk really know how to go about finding someone

**-orange-with-stripes**

 

 

 

Taiga gasps at the next message he receives. _Stealingabiteofyourlunch submitted:_ and below, a picture of a perfectly sculpted torso; well-muscled chest with hard, firm pecs, the grooves of his abs starkly shadowed by the camera flash. The light trail of hair leading from below his bellybutton, getting thicker before it disappears into the waistband of his Calvin Kleins. The v-lines jutting up, underwear tugged far enough to offer a hint of pelvis. And then it cuts off. Kagami finds his mouth filling with saliva, a familiar heat flooding his lower belly as he studies the photo, craving a fuller body shot.

 _Goodnight, Tiger,_ reads the accompanying caption. _(no, im not expecting one back. just havent been able to show em off in a while and thought you might like them.)_

 

 

 

To: **stealingabiteofyourlunch**

your so tan, wow. spend a lot of time outside? i tan really easy (my moms native american lmao) but even i cant get sun like that in japan

**-orange-with-stripes**

 

 

 

To: **orange-with-stripes**

1\. LOL my mom's from India, 2. SHIT UR BIRACIAL TOO?? AND QUEER? fuck this is so great, 3. that SRSLY all you noticed? i work hard on these abs! jk i dont work that hard, im pretty lazy. idek how my body works tbh

**-stealingabiteofyourlunch**

 

 

 

To: **stealingabiteofyourlunch**

india? that's pretty cool! and yeah yeah, i noticed how hot u are, nice job lmao. but ig2g, i have a test tomrrw. gotta study...lets talk more about this later XD

**-orange-with-stripes**

 

 

 

Taiga exits the app, plugging his phone in to charge and making sure the alarm's set. He sits on the edge of his bed, feeling restless. And not because he hasn't studied for math tomorrow; he doesn't care too much about that. The image of tight, dark-skinned stomach muscles remains etched into his brain as he tries to distract himself by changing into his pajamas.

He needs a cold shower and a good night's sleep....or. It really has been too long since he's jerked off without feeling guilty over it. Thinking about Kiyoshi feels wrong and somewhat pathetic, and Taiga's usually too tired at the end of the day to search for decent porn. And why would Lunch send him a photo like that for no reason? If he wasn't trying to stir something up...

It's hot and fast, looking at Lunch's picture, stroking himself with intent as he imagines what it'd be like to hover over those abs, touching them, teasing those pert nipples. What it might be like to run his fingers over the grooves of his muscles...wondering what he smells like, what his voice might sound like. If his breath would be hot in Taiga's ear, begging him to go faster, harder. Watching those muscles ripple as he writhes, pinned to the bed, moving his hips in desperate need for more friction.

He's breathing hard when he comes, looking down at the sticky mess he's made of himself. _Should've used a tissue...damn it._ He stuffs the hem of his t-shirt in his mouth so he can wipe himself with a Kleenex from the bedside table. He's got a nice set of abs himself...really, they're no worse than Lunch's. Maybe reciprocating the picture wouldn't be so bad. He grabs his phone and lies back on the bed, snapping several selfies before he finds one that looks good enough. He's still a little sweaty from orgasm and it gives the photo an edge, just on the wrong side of innocent. He double checks to make sure there's nothing to give away his identity, so even if someone he knew where to ever find this on the internet sometime, they'd never recognize him.

And sends it.

 

 

 

To: **orange-with-stripes**

fuck. nICE. ~~you fucking know what im gonna do with this.~~ shit ur hot

**-stealingabiteofyourlunch**

 

 

 

To: **stealingabiteofyourlunch**

 ~~same thing i did with yours probably.~~ hey, my face might be ugly as shit tho, you dont know

**-orange-with-stripes**

 

 

 

To: **orange-with-stripes**

dont believe that for a second....u wanna know what my face looks like?

**-stealingabiteofyourlunch**

 

 

 

To: **stealingabiteofyourlunch**

yeah. like, a lot. idk if i could send one back tho...sorry

**-orange-with-stripes**

 

 

 

Taiga vibrates with nervous excitement as he waits for Lunch's response. He really is burning to know what his face looks like. He wonders if he'll find it strange, or if his face will match the image Taiga's conjured from his personality. Either way, it'll be a thrill finding out what his friend looks like.

He scrolls through tumblr while he waits, checking his inbox every few minutes in hopes that a picture will be there. After twenty minutes it's obvious that he's not getting one. Maybe Lunch doesn't feel like it without reciprocation. And that's perfectly fair. He hopes things won't be awkward between them now...or maybe, he's just busy. The thought of Lunch jacking off to Taiga's picture sends a thrill down his spine.

He groans and crawls under the covers before his thoughts get too distracting. It's nearly two in the morning; he's got to get up for school in a few hours. He has no desire to go to practice tomorrow afternoon as exhausted as he was today. Not only that, but he's supposed to be meeting with Aomine; some kind of one-on-one from hell that Kuroko arranged. He won't able to thoroughly thrash Aomine's ass if he's too tired to stay on his own feet.

Still, he checks his notifications one more time before putting his phone in sleep mode. Nothing.

 

 

 

 

 

"Come on, Kagami," Aomine taunts, smirking as he dribbles the ball, just out of Taiga's reach. "Are you even trying? This is boring."

Taiga bristles. Why does he always have to be such an asshole? "Give me a minute," he gasps, trying to catch his breath. "You win this round, but I'm taking the next one."

"I fucking doubt that," Aomine says, lifting the hem of his jersey to wipe his face. Taiga forces his eyes not to stray. _I will not admit that you're hot,_ he thinks furiously, trying to send the message through his eyes. _You think you're so great, you don't need everyone else thinking it, too. Jackass._ But this street ball style really is difficult, more of a challenge than regular practice, and to put both practices and the lack of sleep together- yeah, Taiga's running on empty. He wants to go home and nap...and maybe take the time to send an apology to Lunch, since he still hasn't heard anything back.

No. None of that until he teaches Aomine a fucking lesson for once. Taiga pushes himself harder each time they train; he can feel the balance between them starting to shift, if slowly. It takes Aomine longer to win. He has to run faster, jump higher, give it everything he has and he's still only staying half a foot ahead of Taiga at any given time. One of these days he's gonna trip up and give Taiga the upper hand. He just has to keep on pushing it.

Taiga downs half his bottle of water, squirting the rest over his face and chest to cool himself off. When he looks up, ready for the second round, Aomine's watching him, face expressionless. As soon as their eyes meet, his lips curl into a wicked grin, eyes predatory. _That's right. Can't take your eyes off me for even a nanosecond or I'll catch up to you._ The thought puts some of the swing back into Taiga's step.

In the end, Aomine wins by his smallest margin yet, only one basket ahead of Taiga. He gloats over it, but there's an edge of wariness in his eyes.

"Seemed kinda off today," Taiga mentions, satisfied with his progress for the day. He could chalk it up to Aomine having an off day, but he prefers to imagine that he's been steadily improving. "You barely even won."

"I still won, though," Aomine growls.

"This time. Next time I'll win for sure."

Aomine holds his arms out, smug grin splitting his face. "You say that every single time, yet here we are. You're talking out of your ass."

Taiga sighs, refusing to break eye contact first. "One of these days you're gonna have to admit that I'm gettin better and you're standing still. I'll make you."

"You're the one standing still, with how slow your footwork is," Aomine sneers. "Practice it."

Taiga doesn't understand why Aomine thinks it's necessary to pretend he's a first class jerk all the time when he clearly isn't. His actions usually directly contrast what's coming out of his mouth. Something Taiga never would have noticed without Kuroko pointing it out to him, but now that he has it's impossible not to see in every situation. "Thanks for practicing with me."

Aomine blinks at him. "Yeah, well. Don't get used to it. Like I said, _boring._ " He strides away, taking the ball he brought with him. At the gate to the park, he turns. "We'll see what happens next time."

"Looking forward to it!"

 

 

 

 

 

To: **orange-with-stripes**

sorry, totally crashed last night. you still want a proper pic of me? first you gotta tell me what you're gonna do with it.

also- saw that picture you took of your dinner, looks tasty as fuck. you should send me some, looked like you made enough for ten people. having company tonight?

**-stealingabiteofyourlunch**

 

 

 

To: **stealingabiteofyourlunch**

hah no way, all for me. really starved today, i had double practice.  tbh idk if id do anything with a pic of you ~~unless its really sexy~~ I just think itd be nice to know what you look like

**-orange-with-stripes**

 

 

 

To: **orange-with-stripes**

and id be lying if i said i didnt wanna know what u look like too, but i know u said u dont want to. i dont mind sending one of me tho. but srsly, i hope u use these pics well. i could send u some...other ones later, if u want. idk, i really like u. im down for whatever

**-stealingabiteofyourlunch**

 

 

 

To: **stealingabiteofyourlunch**

i like you too. im so glad we met...sorry if thats cheesy and weird. but yeah. thanks for everything, your really great. i'll take whatever you feel like sendin me (and love it.) maybe one day i'll be able to send one back, just not really comfortble with it today

**-orange-with-stripes**

 

 

 

He's buzzing with nerves again, sitting cross-legged at the table in the living room with a half-empty bowl of rice in front of him. He's not really keen on finishing it, either, since he's already polished off six bowls in addition to the fried pork he'd made. He swallows hard, waiting for the light on his phone to indicate a new message. _I should send him a picture of myself...just suck it up and do it,_ he's thinking, when the LED blinks.

He snatches his phone and swipes the screen to unlock it, tapping the message icon.

He promptly drops it into his bowl of half-eaten food, getting rice stuck all over the screen. His heart pounds, blood rushing in his ears so he can hardly think. Fuck. _Fuck. This can't be real. This is so fucked up._

Taiga brushes off his phone and stares at the image again, absorbing every detail, hoping that maybe the longer he pours over it the less it'll look like the same face. But it doesn't change at all; the dark skin, intense blue eyes, that hair the colour of midnight; no, that's all more than familiar. What isn't familiar is the bright smile on his face, as if he's actually happy for once in his life.

 

 

 

 

To: **stealingabiteofyourlunch**

AOMINE?!???? THIS IS A FUCKIN JOKE RIGHT?? HAHA FUNNY

**-orange-with-stripes**

 

 

 

To: **orange-with-stripes**

how the fuck do you know my name

**-stealingabiteofyourlunch**

 

 

 

It takes some time for Taiga to craft a decent answer to that question. He turns his phone off and goes for a walk, thinking about how great Lunch is and how there's no conceivable way _he_ could be Aomine Daiki. Because he's actually pleasant to talk to. It doesn't add up. It just doesn't. This has to be a strange dream. He probably tripped and fell hard and is still out at the park with Aomine, lying face down on the asphalt and rapidly losing blood from a grievous head wound. That situation would be a hundred times better than the one he's in right now.

Once he gets home, he takes a cold shower, still thinking about how amazing his friend Lunch has been over the past few weeks. How he'd given advice on telling Kuroko. How he's... _bi. Aomine's bisexual. He likes dudes._ And an even more striking thought: _he sends dirty pics to random guys on the internet._ He realizes he's scrubbing his hair so hard it hurts, then wonders if he remembered to even use shampoo.

By the time he's dried off, put on clean clothes, and finished the dinner dishes, he's finally reached the conclusion that it _is_ possible for Lunch and Aomine to be the same person. How many Japanese-speaking, basketball-obsessed people could there possibly be on tumblr, anyway? The odds could have been worse, that's for sure.

A half hour of watching TV, or rather, having it on as noise in the background while he stares at the ceiling thinking, and Taiga decides that another thing must be true: he's kind of got feelings for Aomine. _Aomine. Unbelievable!_ All that's left is to figure out how to proceed with this whole thing. He turns his phone back on, fully expecting a barrage of messages searching for answers. There's only one.

 

 

 

To: **orange-with-stripes**

....i think we should meet up in person

**-stealingabiteofyourlunch**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [rosaveritas.tumblr.com](http://rosaveritas.tumblr.com)


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Daiki watches Kagami disappear into the crowd, wishing he knew what the fuck just happened. And how to undo it. Stupid, stupid, stupid! He'd made sure to show up a couple minutes early for once in his life, and then he'd gone and fallen asleep. How? How was it that his body's response to stress was always to take a nap and hope the problem would be gone when he woke up?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm just gonna reiterate that they're all idiots. 
> 
> And also mention that this is dedicated to Phoebe because she's a horrid enabler.

To: **stealingabiteofyourlunch**

yeah we should. can we do it tomrrw? and...u know me too. i promise im not some stalker creep

**-orange-with-stripes**

 

To: **orange-with-stripes**

i know ur not. besides, im not scared of creeps anyway. id like to see one try something on me.

i'll be at the mall tom. at 5pm, bench by the front entrance fountain. see you

**-stealingabiteofyourlunch**

 

 

 

It's a long, dragging day at school with what's weighing on Taiga's mind. He's seeing Aomine after practice, and the contrast between their meeting yesterday and the one that's going to happen today is absolutely surreal. Aomine, Aomine, he can think of nothing else. _He's into guys and he's actually a nice person, what the hell..._

And a little later on, during an English exercise, _I thought about what it would be like to blow my load all over his abs. Fuuuuuck._

Taiga has no idea how he's going to be able to look Aomine in the eye. In the best case, they can agree never to speak of it again. But worst case? Well. That's the scenario Taiga keeps envisioning; the one where Aomine laughs at him, teases him for being such a gay idiot, and informs him the entire thing was just a cruel joke. That he'd known it was him all along and was seeing how far he could take it.

But if that's true, why had he been so fucking _kind_ and _helpful?_ Taiga's getting a major headache from trying to sort it out. He tells himself to relax and think about basketball practice. Whatever happens, at least it will all be over in a few hours.

 

 

 

 

 

"Are we going to Maji today?" Kuroko asks in the locker room after practice.

Taiga shakes his head, toweling his hair off after making use of the school showers. He prefers to shower at home, but he doesn't have time to stop by before five, and he certainly doesn't want to show up smelling like sweat...even if he's smelled like that every other time he's met up with Aomine. It would just be nice not to look completely gross for once, that's all. Yeah.

Kuroko stares for so long that Taiga's starting to feel like he's doing something risqué, when all he's done is apply deodorant and pull on a shirt. "You're acting strange," Kuroko notes.

"What? No I'm not! I'm meeting with Aomine after this."

"Do you want me to come?"

Taiga shoves his dirty, crumpled uniform in his backpack and zips it closed. "Not really...sorry."

"Oh, I see. So you're meeting to talk to about me," Kuroko says, eyes twinkling. "I'll be at the library, then. Make sure you say nice things."

Taiga snorts, relieved that Kuroko isn't pressing for more information. He'd probably end up telling Kuroko everything, and he's not ready for that yet. "How would you ever know if I didn't say nice things?"

"I have my ways." His soft smile lingers even after Taiga's left.

 

 

 

 

 

"Fine, forget it. Should've known you'd be fucking useless, Kise," Daiki grumbles, turning on his heel. Never should have come here. Never should have said anything. Terrible idea. Kise's barely even capable of taking a funeral seriously, let alone something like this. "I'll just ask Satsuk-"

"Nooo," Kise whines, grabbing Daiki's wrist. And fuck, he's pretty strong. But his socks on the hardwood floor don't give him a lot of leverage, so Daiki ends up dragging him to the other side of the room. "Wait, I'm sorry!"

"I came here for a simple fucking outfit, not a beauty treatment! I'm gonna look like an idiot if I listen to you."

That gets Kise to let go, at least, his eyes widening in shock. "Eyeliner only enhances the natural beauty of your eyelashes," he says, sounding unnaturally offended. "Are you saying _I_ look like an idiot?!"

"Yes!" He kind of regrets it as soon as he says it, since Kise's so sensitive about the way he looks. But it's clearly a lie; how could anyone legitimately think Kise's not absolutely gorgeous? Sure, _he_ can pull off daring shit like eyeliner and look fantastic and have men and women alike dripping off him, but it'd never work for Daiki. Not in a million years.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry," Kise says, waving his hands apologetically. "What did you say this was for again? I won't put any makeup on you. Although you could use some foundation, not gonna lie, but I don't have your shade and-" he falls silent under Daiki's glare. "Oh my god, it's for some girl."

Daiki rubs the back of his neck, trying to decide if fleeing would be too much work.  It would probably be a hassle at this point. "Shut up. I just need to look...okay." He glances at the clock. Another hour until he meets Tiger. He feels kind of sick when he thinks about it, so he's been trying all day to simply _not think about it._ His stupid brain doesn't seem to have gotten the memo, though.

In fact, he'd thought about it all night. He'd barely slept at all, up on his computer, furiously searching through every single one of Tiger's posts, trying to figure out who the fuck he is. Posts about the Lakers, reblogs of American recipes and TV shows; yeah, anyone could have shit like that on their blog by coincidence, but Daiki's pretty sure he only knows two people who could possibly be half Native American on top of all that. And Murasakibara's friend with the... _hair_ probably wouldn't have a picture of a tiger holding a basketball in its mouth for his blog, leaving only one other option. There's always a chance it won't be him, but it could be. It might be.

And Daiki had told him things he'd never said to anyone out loud before, except maybe Satsuki, but she doesn't count. He kind of wants to die, or pretend it never happened, but...first he's got to make sure. Figure out who Tiger is, then take it from there. Don't think so hard.

There's got to be a way to make Tiger keep everything he knows about Daiki to his fucking self.

"-put you in something like _this,_ " Kise says emphatically, rifling through his closet. "Casual but classy. At least you won't look like a slob." He pulls out a sky blue blazer and a pair of pants that appear equally as dubious, but Daiki takes them from him anyway. He wants to get out of here before Kise plasters him with a thousand more questions.

 

 

 

 

Taiga meanders through the mall for a few minutes before the meeting, perusing the goods at a Make Your Own T-Shirt kiosk as a distraction. His gut churns; maybe he should get something to eat to calm it down. He checks his phone. Five minutes...that should be enough time to grab something from the food court- so what if he's a little bit late? Aomine's always late for everything anyway.

Besides, this is probably all a joke. He'll get to the bench and nobody'll be there, save for someone hiding in the bushes taking photos and laughing at his despair. So he could make it look like he just went out there to eat in privacy. Better than just waiting around with nothing to do.

In the end, it takes eleven minutes for Taiga to choose a place, wait in line, and collect his order. He gets it to go, clutching the paper bag with a sweaty palm and trying his best to get to the appointed bench as fast as possible without looking like he's hurrying.

There's someone already there, right across from the fountain, like "Lunch" said, but Taiga can see even from this distance that it's not Aomine. It's some guy who looks like a sales associate at the shoe store on the west end of the mall (which incidentally doesn't carry Taiga's size.)  

Reaching his hand into his fast food bag to fish out a couple fries and stuff them in his mouth, Taiga moves around the fountain, keeping an eye out for Aomine. But the other benches are vacant, and the salesman hasn't moved. Taiga glances at him again, then does a double take, almost choking on his mouthful of food. It _is_ Aomine, slouched with his head resting on the backrest, eyes closed. Sleeping.

Taiga's not sure what to do. Shake him awake? He's still got some fries clutched in his hand...

The first one hits Aomine in the chest and bounces off, catching in the folds of his blazer, but it doesn't elicit a reaction. The second fry gets him in the neck, and he swipes at with his hand before jolting awake, eyes snapping open, his ferocious glare somewhat diminished by the haze in his eyes. "Fuck off...Tiger- Taiga." He rubs his eyes, stretching. "I get it. Clever."

Taiga shrugs, taking a seat on the opposite end of the bench, putting his backpack between them as a buffer.  And arranging his stuff gives him an excuse not to make eye contact. "It was my nickname in America. Plus tigers are cool."

When he finally hazards a glance up, Aomine's staring at the paper bag of food. "Brought me something?" he jokes.

"Yeah, actually," Taiga mutters, unzipping his backpack and searching for the tupperware container he prepared. He hands it to Aomine, who takes it with a confused expression.

"What's this?"

"Leftovers from last night? You...uh. Said you wanted me to send you some. So. Yeah." He's still digging at the bottom of his bag, which helps stave off the flush he can feel starting under his skin. "Shit, I forgot chopsticks."

"S'fine," Aomine says, snapping the lid off the container. He uses a slice of pork as a makeshift spoon, lifting a bite of cold rice to his lips.

It's just like every other time they hang out, but a thousand times more stressful. Taiga's burning to mention it, that thing hanging over them, since Aomine seems bent on pretending there isn't a reason they're here on this bench eating together. He opens his mouth to say something, right as Aomine spills a load of rice on himself. "What the hell are you wearing? I didn't even recognize you at first. Thought you were some middle-aged man."

Aomine glances out of the corner of his eye. "Yeah, well, I wanted to look nice in case it wasn't you."

"What?!"

"In case it was some hot guy or something." He stuffs more pork in his mouth. Meaning it must taste good, so that's a bit of a boost to Taiga's ego. It gives him just the spark of confidence he needs.

"So that blog..." Aomine's eyes widen momentarily as Taiga finally brings it up. "It's all...you know. True?" Taiga's mouth feels pretty damn dry; he should've got a set that came with a drink. All those salty fries were a mistake. "The stuff you said?"

Aomine gazes pensively into the rest of the rice, licking pork juice from his fingers. Then he finally looks up, meeting Taiga's eyes. "You mean that I like the Lakers? Yeah. I like the Lakers....and the Cavaliers. I can like _both_ teams."

"You only like the Cavs because of LeBron James," Taiga jokes.

To his surprise, Aomine's cheeks flush dark. "Who wouldn't? He's hot."

"Damn straight!"

"...Unlike either of us," Aomine whispers, amused. His immediately turns tentative. "So Kuroko knows, huh?"

"Yeah. I can't believe I was that nervous about telling him." Taiga smiles, remembering  Kuroko's warm reception.

"Nah, I get it. Like...it's a big deal to say it, right? Satsuki actually found out by accident."

"Seriously? How?!"

Aomine laces his hands behind his head, adopting a lazy smirk. "Walked in on me jerking off to..you know. Like I said, she started laughing. Fuck, that was embarrassing." He pauses. "Mostly her seeing me with my dick out, not the kind of porn I was watching."

"She just comes in without knocking?"

"Yeah. We grew up together; she's like my sister. Mom let her in."

"You jerk off when your mom's home?" For some reason, that's the only seriously shocking thing.

"We don't all live alone, Bakagami." He leans forward, resting his elbow on his knee, a glint in his eyes that Taiga's never seen before. Not even during basketball. "How'd you know you were...?"

Kagami fiddles with the ring on the chain around his neck, twisting it in circles. "I dunno...I started realizing I wasn't as interested in girls as everyone else. Everyone at school always talking about girls and dating and sex and I...just didn't care about it." He starts to relax as the words flow out, tension seeping out of his shoulders. "I've known for a while...my parents know. It's not a huge deal for me in other parts of my life, you know? It's just. Nice to have people know here, in Japan. It's so different from L.A. Especially lately, I've been- what?"

"Huh?" His face is half-covered by his hand, expression unreadable. At least for Taiga. Kuroko could probably tell him what it means.

"You're lookin' at me funny." A sudden wave of self-doubt has Taiga standing up, slinging his backpack over his shoulder. "Uh, sorry. I should get going."

"Yeah, okay." And is Taiga only imagining the softness in Aomine's voice, or is it really there? "Maybe we can talk more later...about LeBron James. And stuff."

Taiga's mouth still feels dry. "Sure."

 

 

 

 

Daiki watches Kagami disappear into the crowd, wishing he knew what the fuck just happened. And how to undo it. Stupid, stupid, _stupid!_ He'd made sure to show up a couple minutes early for once in his life, and then he'd gone and fallen asleep. How? How was it that his body's response to stress was always to take a nap and hope the problem would be gone when he woke up?

But the problem wasn't gone, it was standing there right in front of him when he was startled out of his exhausted stupor. Cheeks stuffed like a squirrel, clutching that paper bag like a security blanket, and wearing a grey hoodie so tight it should've been fucking _illegal._ Unzipped to show the low v-neck t-shirt underneath, sleeves rolled up so they aren't covering those strong forearms the way they should. He had to have done that on purpose.

And even though Daiki _knew_ it was going to be Kagami, because there were literally no other options, his heart still tried to claw its way up into his throat when he saw him.

He'd looked so good, and smelled so tempting that Daiki found himself consciously pressing his back against the bench so he wouldn't lean forward and try to smell him better. Everything was going miraculously smoothly until... _"You're lookin' at me funny."_ With his stupid eyebrows furrowed in that confused, slightly hurt way that made Daiki want to simultaneously punch him and...well, kiss him. Maybe. Probably.

 

 

 

 

To: **orange-with-stripes**

only bc you looked so fUCking cute telling that story

**-stealingabiteofyourlunch**

 

To: **stealingabiteofyourlunch**

what??

- **orange-with-stripes**

 

To: **orange-with-stripes**

why i was looking at you strange! im sorry....Kagami. is this too weird? it's weird, right?

- **stealingabiteofyourlunch**

 

What if Kagami wants to stop talking to him altogether after this? Daiki doesn't like that idea, so he pushes it out of his head. No way. No way he's going to let Kagami quit talking to him over this. It's one of the few parts of his day he looks forward to and he's not letting it get away so easily.

 

 

 

 

 

Taiga's suffering from another restless night, wanting desperately to just go home after school and fall into bed. But Kuroko says he really wants to get a milkshake, offering to pay when Taiga initially declines. And he can't say no to free food (or Kuroko when he insists on something.)

He's focusing on not falling asleep on his tray of cheeseburgers while Kuroko tries to talk to him about...something. Shit, he hasn't been paying attention, but he's pretty sure Kuroko just said his name. He's sure staring, at any rate.

"Kagami-kun." He has a drop of milkshake on his lip. "How long have you been going out with Aomine-kun?"

"Wh-" He tries to protest around his mouthful of food, and it ends up taking several minutes for his coughing fit to subside. "I'm n- we aren't- what the hell kind of question is that?!" His face is in absolute flames, from a combination of coughing and utter embarrassment at the unexpected question.

Kuroko turns his eyes down onto the table, folding the edges of one of Taiga's napkins. "Kise-kun told me that Aomine-kun asked him for fashion advice. And I know he was meeting up with you. Unless you lied to me."

"I didn't!"

Kuroko's mouth twists into a faint frown, eyes dark. "What's going on between you two?"

"Why the hell do you think there's anything? Do y- wait." Finally, the pieces click into place. Taiga checks to make sure nobody's listening to them, even going so far as to twist around in his seat to see the booth behind him. "Do you know about...him?"

"Yes. But how do _you_ know?" He's somehow folded the napkin into the shape of a flower.

"He told me! Yesterday. I mean, the day before that, I guess." Taiga takes a huge bite out of his burger, chewing mechanically and looking out the window. So awkward.

Kuroko's shoulders slump, and when Taiga glances at him he's also staring out the window, milkshake abandoned. "Why would he tell you and not me?" Kuroko wonders in a small voice.

"You said you knew!"

"I guessed. And Momoi-san confirmed."

"Yeah, well." Taiga pulls out his phone, then decides against showing Kuroko the actual messages. Aomine's ab shot is still sitting in his inbox. "We've been talking online for a few...weeks, I guess. But we didn't use our real names on this website and I swear I didn't know it was him until the other day."

Kuroko blinks, expressionless, then picks up his shake and takes a sip. A long sip. "That's quite the coincidence," he finally says.

"I know that! What do I do? Help me!"

Now Kuroko raises a quizzical eyebrow. "Do you _want_ to go on a date with him?"

Taiga falls silent at that, stunned. Such a simple question, one which he should have a ready answer to. He thinks about it while he continues to devour his food, aware that Kuroko's still awaiting a reply. Does he want to go on a date with Aomine...not really. Aomine's so frustrating and brash and constantly saying things to get on Taiga's nerves. He knows it's on purpose and he doesn't like it.

But would he go on a date with Lunch? _Definitely._ Sign him the fuck up. "...I dunno."

 

 

 

 

 

Taiga spends the entire evening trying to reconcile the fact that Lunch and Aomine are indeed the same person and it's not some kind of prank. That the brusque asshole can be sweet and thoughtful and give good advice. That he thinks LeBron James is hot, watches gay porn, and has abs that seriously belong in an art museum. That he thinks Taiga's...cute.

According to his last message, anyway.

 

_What the hell are you wearing?_

_I wanted to look nice in case it was some hot guy or something._

_Kise-kun told me that Aomine-kun asked him for fashion advice._

 

To: **stealingabiteofyourlunch**

...did u KNOW it was gonna be me??

**-orange-with-stripes**

 

To: **orange-with-stripes**

like 99% sure once i went back through ur blog. either u or that emo guy

**-stealingabiteofyourlunch**

 

So he'd knowingly gone to Kise for advice because he wanted to...look nice, just for Taiga. And Taiga basically told him he looked stupid. Fuck. _Fuck._

_Only because you looked cute._

_You're hot._

 

 

 

Aomine's really good at flirting, which isn't much of a surprise, when Taiga thinks about it. And Taiga's never flirted before, or ever been on the receiving end of it. He does think Aomine's attractive, but how is he supposed to say it? Hell if Aomine's going to beat him at this, too, though. He's got to try it. How hard can it be? Just...compliment something. Maybe he can undo some of the damage from yesterday.

 

 

To: **stealingabiteofyourlunch**

its weird but...good. sorry for being a dumbass before. if it helps, i think middle aged men are sexy so...

**-orange-with-stripes**

 

To: **orange-with-stripes**

wtf ??? like who?

**-stealingabiteofyourlunch**

 

To: **stealingabiteofyourlunch**

you! in that jacket, it looked good on u idk u looked fancy i guess? shit that came out wierd, i didnt mean it like that!

**-orange-with-stripes**

 

Fuck, okay. Maybe flirting isn't so easy after all. But with a little practice he'll probably get the hang of it. How the hell did people flirt on TV? _You come here often? Are you from Tennessee, 'cause you're the only ten I see._ But all the shows he can think of portray hunky men quipping witty lines at giggling girls who wink and twirl their hair around their fingers. Aomine would never respond like that.

Taiga finds himself wondering how Aomine _would_ respond to flirting. Real flirting, not...whatever it was that he'd just done. All he can think of is the expression he'd had right before Taiga got awkward and called their meeting quits. Eyes glittering, trained on him, mouth neutral, in neither a grin or a frown. Usually Aomine's face was so telling, but then it had been blank, like he was caught off-guard and didn't know what to do with his face.

 

 

 

To: **orange-with-stripes**

LMF A O!!! HOW DID U FUCK UP SO BAD IM CRYING RN

**-stealingabiteofyourlunch**

 

To: **orange-with-stripes**

wait a sec so ure admitting u think im sexy?

**-stealingabiteofyourlunch**

 

Now's Taiga's chance to show that he really _can_ flirt when he wants to. He has to think of something good. What would Aomine say in that position? Well, he certainly wouldn't be shy.

 _Don't be shy, either!_ Besides, Taiga reasons, he's got nothing to be shy about. They've already sent each other dirty pics and basically admitted mutual masturbation (a thought which sets Taiga's cheeks ablaze.) It's not like he's nervous Aomine will reject him at this point, so what's the goddamn problem?

_Try saying something that would make him make that stunned face again. Beat him at his own game!_

 

 

 

To: **stealingabiteofyourlunch**

sexier than lebron james

- **orange-with-stripes**

 

He considers adding a winky face but it seems like overkill. Either way, he has to applaud himself. _Good one, Taiga!_

 

 

 

To: **orange-with-stripes**

tell me something i dont know haha ;)

**-stealingabiteofyourlunch**

 

To: **stealingabiteofyourlunch**

im serious. your really sexy. pretty much exactly my type. i said i like athletic guys. and you have nice eyes

**-orange-with-stripes**

 

To: **orange-with-stripes**

do u want another pic

**-stealingabiteofyourlunch**

 

Taiga's stomach does a flip.

 

 

 

To: **stealingabiteofyourlunch**

yeah

- **orange-with-stripes**

 

To: **orange-with-stripes**

u better send one back or im gonna come over there and kick ur ass

- **stealingabiteofyourlunch**

 

A few moments later he gets a submission notification, almost dropping his phone on his face from where he's holding it up.

Those abs he's seen before, they're innocent enough; kind of a regular thing to see, being on a sports team. But this time Aomine's offering him something new, something with a dangerous edge that heats Taiga's blood in his veins.

He's lying on his bed, wearing nothing but a pair of tight boxer-briefs, pulled low on his hips to show off the deep ridges of his obliques, v-lines softening as they disappear into the scanty amount of fabric left covering them. And he's hard; there's a thick, clearly defined bulge between his thighs, which are spread slightly open. One hand rests on his stomach, two fingers creeping beneath the waistband of his underwear to touch himself. "Ur fault," the caption says.

Taiga's own cock stirs in his shorts as he concentrates on the photo, memorizing its lines, trying to regulate his breathing.

 

 

 

To: **stealingabiteofyourlunch**

holy fUCK

**-orange-with-stripes**

 

To: **orange-with-stripes**

you were supposed to send one back ASSHOLE. i got excited for nothing. dont make me come over there

**-stealingabiteofyourlunch**

To: **stealingabiteofyourlunch**

....do it. come.

**-orange-with-stripes**

 

To: **orange-with-stripes**

seriously Kagami? im not fucking around. you want me to come, i'll come

**-stealingabiteofyourlunch**

 

To: **stealingabiteofyourlunch**

you remember how to get to my house?

**-orange-with-stripes**

 

To: **orange-with-stripes**

yeah. be there in half an hour. to kick ur ass.

**-stealingabiteofyourlunch**

 

To: **stealingabiteofyourlunch**

bring it on

**-orange-with-stripes**

 

Well, fuck. Maybe he'd just flirted a little bit _too_ hard.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You can find me at [rosaveritas.tumblr.com](http://rosaveritas.tumblr.com) or [@maguro_hime](https://twitter.com/maguro_hime) ^^


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ice trickles down his spine. He unfreezes after the second knock, setting his mug on the table on his way to the door. He takes a deep breath, unlocks the deadbolt, and opens it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What am I even doing with my life

_Be there in half an hour. To kick your ass._

_Bring it on._

Daiki sits back in his chair, yanking his headphones off mid-song. He slams the lid of his laptop down to make the messages disappear, his heart bouncing around in his chest like an out-of-bounds freethrow.

He leans his elbows on his desk and rests his face in his hands, trying to sort out his thoughts. Which really shouldn't be so damn difficult, considering he only has one: _Kagami's hot. He flirted and invited you over. So take Nike's advice and Just Do It._ What else is there to even consider?

Despite the incessant feeling that he should probably think this through a little more (or perhaps _because_ of that feeling and the resulting urge to turn his back to it and pretend it isn't there,) Daiki pulls his clothes back on so fast he ends up with his sweatshirt inside out. He doesn't even notice until he goes to shove his phone in the pouch and can't find the opening.

He's halfway down the stairs with his sweater tangled up over his head, trying to fix it, when he remembers the tupperware container Kagami left behind when he fled the mall. It's still in his room, sitting on the desk next to his laptop. He races back up to his room to grab it and then, realizing it's not clean, straight down to the kitchen to rinse it.

"Daiki?" His mom's sharp voice. "What in the world are you doing? Thumping around like an elephant..." He can barely hear her footsteps as she enters the kitchen behind him, dainty, as if to mock him.

"You know, just-" he turns on the faucet and frantically slides the stack of dirty supper dishes from the counter into the sink, drizzling it with liquid soap. Hopefully she didn't have time to notice the unfamiliar container in there first. "Dishes."

She squints up at him and he tries not to flinch, rolling his sleeves up to make it look like he actually intends to wash plates. "You? Doing chores without me having to ask a million times first?"

Daiki could _swear_ that Satsuki and his mother have secret meetings behind his back to practice That Look. That Look that always makes him feel like he's buck naked with the word GUILTY spelled out in giant letters on his chest. He can't come up with a good reason for doing the dishes short of pretending he's trying to be a better son, which might very well build up her expectations of him in a way he really wants to avoid. "I felt like doing 'em," he tells her, elbows-deep in bubbles. "This'll teach me to try doing something nice, yeesh!"

That Look is still there, but his mom doesn't seem too terribly interested in his motives as long as it's resulting in chores getting done. "Oh _beta_ ," she sighs, patting his arm. "Always so dramatic."

Daiki resigns himself to scrubbing dried soy sauce off a dinner plate with a dishcloth, even though he hates the musty smell it always leaves on his hands afterwards. He deserves something good for going through all this damn effort. "...I'm going to a friend's to hang out."

She nods, smug. "I knew you were after something. Satsuki's?"

He'd lie and say yes if he didn't know there's a fairly good chance of his mom texting Satsuki to check if it's true or not. "Someone else. Plays basketball with Tetsu. You don't know him."

She seems curious, grabbing a dish towel out of the drawer on her way to stand next to him. She starts doing the worst thing possible: drying dishes instead of leaving. "Invite him over here next time! I love meeting all your little basketball friends. What kind of food does he like? I can make-"

For some reason the idea of "little" Kagami Taiga sitting at the table eating dinner with his mother and father, answering their barrage of personal questions, makes Daiki's stomach weak.

"-that you liked so much on your birthday-"

" _Mom._ "

"Do you need a ride there? It looks like it might rain-"

" _No."_

Absolutely no way in hell is Daiki's mother meeting the guy whose abs he's fantasized about licking. That seems like a surefire way to have his coming out story end in tragedy.

 

 

 

 

 

Checking his empty inbox for the hundredth time, Taiga sighs. No messages, and it's been well over an hour since Aomine said he was coming. Must've changed his mind. Either that or he forgot Taiga's address...it hurts his pride a little less to assume the latter.

The seconds tick by on the wall clock, each minute as much of a relief as it is a disappointment...almost.

What had he even been expecting? He dwells for a moment on his terrible habit of saying things in the moment when he was fired up and then regretting them horribly afterwards. If something...sexual... _were_ to happen, everything might change. It would. Taiga's always considered sex an act of union. Call him a romantic or whatever, but the way movies usually portrayed it...love, intimacy, two people sharing a special connection. More like a shadow and light than opponents clashing from opposite sides of the court, constantly in each other's faces. Aomine's a rival, nothing more.

_Except he is._

Stupid brain. To get it to shut up, Taiga busies himself putting a saucepan of milk on the stove. The wind gusts wildly outside, splattering the windows with heavy raindrops. Hot chocolate would be nice. And something mindless to watch on TV.

He's warm in his pajamas (though it's barely past seven, he's got nowhere else to go tonight) balancing a huge cup of cocoa on his knee and casually flicking through cable channels looking for a good anime when there's a sharp knock on his door.

Ice trickles down his spine. He unfreezes after the second knock, setting his mug on the table on his way to the door. He takes a deep breath, unlocks the deadbolt, and opens it.

Aomine looks, quite literally, like a drowned rat, wet hair windblown so it sticks up worse than Kuroko's bedhead, his clothes soaked through and dripping onto the carpet in the hall. He says nothing, but he doesn't have to. The utter disgust in his expression combined with the cold chatter of his teeth as he stands there shivering convey more than enough for Taiga to graciously step aside and let him in.

"You got a t-towel?" He kicks his shoes off in the doorway, setting a plastic shopping bag down next to them. Water starts pooling on the floor beneath them, but Taiga's less concerned with the floor than he is with Aomine. He must be absolutely freezing.

"Are you insane? A towel won't do shit. Take those clothes off and get in the shower." Taiga points in the direction of the bathroom while he talks. "I'll lend you something dry."

"Thanks," he says, heading there without needing to be told twice. Taiga hears the slap of wet clothes hitting the floor, then the stream of the shower starting.

His brain wants to linger on how Aomine's currently naked in his home, but he doesn't let it. Instead, he finds something for Aomine to wear- sweatpants (since he'll obviously have to wear them home, there's no way Taiga can get his wet clothes dry on time) and the thickest sweater he can find. Will he want underwear, too? Or is that too intimate and weird? He picks his most innocuous pair of boxers (black with little basketballs on them, a Christmas present from his mom) and adds them to the stack. Aomine can take them or leave them.

As soon as the sound of the shower dies down, Taiga knocks on the bathroom door. "Clothes," he announces. Aomine cracks open the door and sticks his hand out for them. The bathroom mirror is too steamed up for Taiga to catch the curve of brown skin he'd been somewhat hoping to see.

He keeps the door open a crack, warm air escaping into the hall where Taiga waits. Taiga can hear the rustle of clothes, and Aomine's amused snort. " _Ball-_ themed underwear? Seriously?"

So it was a dumb idea. Damn. "Just shut up and put them on," he grumbles. "Before you catch a cold."

"Yes, mom. Geez." He opens the door shortly after, a rosy tinge to his dark cheeks that lets Taiga know he's finally warm.

 _And here, in my apartment._ Taiga's heart misses a beat and he almost forgets to breathe for a second, drawing in the scent of his own bodywash on Aomine's skin when finally drags some air into his lungs. It makes him a lot dizzier than it should. "Why the hell did you walk all the way here in the rain, dumbass?"

"It wasn't raining when I left the house," Aomine snaps back defensively. He flops down unceremoniously on Taiga's couch, taking up most of the space. This is the familiar Aomine; his rude, entitled attitude leaving Lunch's eager sweetness far behind in the dust.

But it's too late. Now Taiga's aware of what's hidden beneath the surface, he can't let it go. It's not in his nature to give up without pushing first. As hard as he fucking can. "I made hot chocolate. Want some?"

Aomine stares at him, blinking slowly. "...Is it the kind with those teensy marshmallows?"

"I make it with baking chocolate and sugar, not that gross fake powder stuff."

"Fine," he says, waving his hand dismissively. "I'll try it."

Taiga rolls his eyes, setting about making a fresh batch- and simultaneously reheating his own cold mug-full. He tries particularly hard not to think about what might happen. The tension and heat from their online conversation earlier has washed away with the storm, now just an innocent drink of hot chocolate. Fully clothed. So why are his hands trembling as he mixes in the sugar with a spoon?

"Shit, almost forgot," Aomine says from the other room, footsteps receding toward the door. There's the crinkle of plastic (must be that shopping bag) and then Aomine enters the kitchen, setting something on the counter. "From the rice, you forgot to take it."

His tupperware container. He smiles, pleased. "You washed it?"

Aomine rubs the back of his neck, gaze focused on Taiga's stirring. "Yeah..." Awkward silence descends upon them, until Aomine speaks up again, an amused tone lacing his voice. "Mom caught me and made me do the dishes before I could leave. So I guess it makes it your fault I'm late."

"How the hell do you figure that?"

"It's your stupid container." He leans his back against the counter, arms crossed, wicked smirk on his face. "Plus, you're the one who ran off and stuck me with it."

"Yeah, well." Taiga dips his pinky into the rich brown liquid simmering on the stove, ignoring the minute burn and lifting it to his mouth to test. Deciding it's done, he sets a clean mug next to his now-empty one from earlier and tips half of the saucepan's contents into each. "Who wouldn't run from you when you make that creepy face? It's scary."

Aomine narrows his eyes. "You're the one making weird faces all the time." He takes a sip of his drink, looking away.

"You said it was cute!"

Aomine chokes, spitting a mouthful back into his mug. He wipes his mouth with the back of his hand, finally meeting Taiga's eyes. His gaze is a blazing inferno Taiga isn't prepared for. "Yeah, I think you're cute. And hot. And a million other things." He thumps his mug down, some hot chocolate spilling down the side. If he notices, he doesn't care.

Taiga's own hands shake a little, hopefully not enough for Aomine to see and tease him about. He gestures to Aomine's abandoned cup. "Not good enough without the marshmallows?"

To his surprise, Aomine sighs and picks it up again. "You do that a lot, you know."

"What?"

"Get all weird when I compliment you." He's back to rubbing the back of his neck. "Want me to stop?"

Taiga wishes he had a better way of hiding the blush he can feel in his cheeks, but there's nowhere to go. He stares at the floor, Aomine's eyes heating him up from the inside. Maybe he has laser vision like Superman. Hopefully not X-ray, though. That could be embarrassing. "No. I just..." he shrugs, shifting his weight from one foot to the other. "I dunno what to say." He scratches his nose, daring a peek up. "This still doesn't feel real. I feel really...weird when you say nice things to me."

Aomine's voice is low and gentle, a note of curiosity winding through it. "Good weird?" He steps closer. "Or bad weird?"

This time Taiga glares. How dare this asshole come around and make him feel all these confusing things? Everything was simple before he found out Aomine and Lunch were the same person. Why the fuck did this have to happen? Why does it have to be so...so _terrifying?_  "I don't know! Weird weird."

Aomine's got the exact same stupid look on he had at the mall, that _serious_ look, eyes dark and focused, mouth in a straight line. This time his lips crook up at the corner as Aomine comes even closer, a panther slowly encroaching on his prey. Only once he's close enough to touch does he speak. "Better get used to it, Tiger. 'Cause I like you."

Taiga's face burns, his heart working overtime in his chest just to keep up. Aomine smells so good after his shower, clothes freshly washed with Taiga's favourite detergent, mixed with chocolate and a hint of his natural scent, which Taiga swears he knows but can't quite think of the word for. His fingers itch; one step forward and their chests would collide. He could be in Aomine's arms. _Lunch's_ arms.

The air hangs heavy between them, like the moment after the buzzer, waiting to see if that three's going to make it into the basket. Aomine wears a challenging smirk, already victorious. "First you don't send me a picture back, now you're not gonna answer? You looking for a fight?"

Taiga sighs, air flooding back into his lungs. He hadn't even realized he hadn't been breathing. He grins, gaining his footing. "You said you were comin' to kick my ass, but here we are drinking hot chocolate. What, lost your nerve?"

"Shut the fuck up," Aomine growls, reaching out and wrenching Taiga towards him by the front of his pajamas.

It's childish and petty instead of the scathing wit Taiga sometimes fantasizes about having, but he really only can come up with one response, his hand closing firmly around Aomine's wrist, trapping him there. "Make me."

Aomine pounces, filling up the space between them with his scent as he moves, tugging Taiga close by his fistful of shirt fabric. His lips are softer than Taiga imagined they'd be, warm and firm and there's the slight brush of the little hairs on his upper lip. Taiga closes his eyes, sinking into it as Aomine shifts his mouth to a better angle, free hand roaming up Taiga's chest to settle on his shoulder.

When they pull apart, Aomine raises his thumb to his lips, eyes glinting as he appraises his handiwork. "I win."

Taiga blinks, brain working hard to pull itself out of its haze and register the meaning of Aomine's words. "Wait, what?"

"I got you to shut up."

"Nah," Taiga replies. "I win 'cause I got you to kiss me."

Such a sharp light in Aomine's eyes; Taiga's too transfixed by it to be shy anymore. "Wanna do it again?"

"Hell yeah," Taiga breathes, leaning in. Aomine meets him, crushing his lips against Taiga's fervently. Taiga closes his eyes, breath hitching as he feels the warm wetness of Aomine's tongue running over his bottom lip, gently coaxing him to open his mouth.  Heart caught in his throat, head bereft of its usual contents, Taiga complies, parting his lips.

Aomine's tongue tastes of chocolate, sweeping into Taiga's mouth and twining with his own as he tries to keep up. They find a rhythm, Aomine pushing Taiga back against the counter, fingers digging into his chest where they still cling to the front of his shirt, and Taiga raises his hand to clutch Aomine's elbow like it's an anchor, something to prevent him being swept away.

Aomine's breath is hot and sharp in his mouth, the heat radiating into Taiga's chest, constricting it, and trickling further down to his lower belly where it knots tightly, weakening his knees. And he can feel Aomine, hot and heavy against his thigh. He groans, turning his head to break the kiss.

"Too much for you?" Aomine murmurs, into his ear. Taiga shudders, that deep, intimate voice shocking through him and frying all his circuits.

"Uh..." he works his mouth, but no words come out. He releases his hold on Aomine's arms, dropping his own to his sides. He wonders exactly how much Aomine would take if he let him...

Aomine's eyes bore into his head, only a few inches away. "Did you not like it?"

Taiga rakes a hand through his hair. The evidence must be pretty fucking clear, he's wearing thin pajama bottoms for god's sake. "I liked it too much."

"Too much?"

"Too much for today. Like," he searches frantically for the right words. "You can't go straight from Kraft Dinner to making boeuf bourguignon without any practice."

Aomine squints at him, slack-jawed. "...What? I didn't understand half of those words."

"It's- do you even _read_ my blog? I talk about cooking all the fucking time."

"I don't really go on it for the recipes. Just the basketball. What the hell would I need to read recipes for? I don't cook." He smirks. "I steal other people's food; do you even read _my_ blog? It's right in the URL."

"Shut up," Taiga grumbles. "Finish your hot chocolate, it's getting cold."

"Me too," Aomine complains. "Is there a window open?"

Taiga sighs, wishing he could cool off from that kiss as quickly as Aomine had. "Nope. Go sit down, I'll get a blanket."

"Your blanket?"

"There's a spare in the closet, don't worry. It's clean."

"Oh. Cool," he replies absent-mindedly, his eyes having started to wander around the kitchen before Taiga was even finished explaining. He opens a kitchen cabinet and looks inside, moving on to the next one without shutting it.

Taiga shakes his head and heads to his room to get the spare blanket, cringing as he hears something clatter loudly in the kitchen. "Don't break anything! What are you, five?"

"Just seeing what kind of shit you got here," Aomine's voice echoes down the hall.

"Don't mess it up!" Taiga tugs the folded comforter down from the top shelf and tucks it under his arm, turning to find Aomine leaning in the doorway.

He cocks his head to the side. "Hey, where do you stash your porn?"

Using the blanket as a shield, Taiga shoves Aomine out of his room and shuts the door firmly behind him. "On my laptop, like a normal person."

"Damn, I was hoping to see your huge stack of gay porno mags."

"What the f-"

"For comparison purposes!" He follows Taiga back into the living room, stopping in front of Taiga's DVD collection. "I wonder if we like the same stuff."

"I already told you what I like. Why do you wanna know, anyway?"

Aomine crouches down, elbows on his knees, eyes roving over the DVD titles. "I'll give you three guesses."

"Because you're rude and demanding?"

Aomine shoots Taiga a glare over his shoulder, quiet for a minute. "Wrong. Two left," he finally says.

Taiga's stomach quivers and he feels tingly all the way to the tips of his fingers, unsure how he's supposed to use his last two guesses. Aomine's got to be teasing him somehow, he's just not smart enough to understand the joke... "Because...this is a stupid game. I give up." His voice comes out croakier than he intended.

"You didn't even try. Boring."

"Okay, _fine._ Because..." He stares at his toes. "You...wanna have sex. With me."

"But you don't want to?"

Taiga scuffs at a mark on the hardwood with his toe, listening to the tick of the clock and the faint sound of Aomine's finger tapping on the spine of a plastic DVD case. "I guess...no."

More tapping, and then Aomine's subdued voice. "Tiger?"

Just like that, Touou's selfish, lazy ace, Aomine Daiki, fades away, the tension between them dissipating just like that, replaced by something comfortable and familiar, if somewhat fragile. "Yeah?"

"Do you like...me? Being here, I mean."

Taiga's glad Aomine isn't looking at him to catch his blush. He steps forward, planting one foot on Aomine's back and giving him a gentle push. "'Course I do, idiot. Geez, why do you think I invited you over?"

"I don't fucking know."

"I'm pretty sure you told me you were gonna kick my ass."

Aomine chuckles, a rich, smooth sound that sinks right into Taiga's bones. "Okay. I will. At this." He pulls a case off the shelf with his index finger, brandishing it triumphantly. Taiga's copy of Gran Turismo 6.

Taiga can't help the huge smile that spreads over his face, the tense knot in his shoulders finally unraveling. "No way in _hell,_ " he says, brushing the back of Aomine's hand with his fingertips as he takes the game from him to put into his Playstation. "You're gonna eat so much dirt."

 

 

 

 

 

Daiki's loses for the third race in a row, leaning forward toward the TV screen with the blanket wrapped around him. It's not the one he was hoping for, but it does still smell like Kagami. As does the sweater he's wearing, which is kind of like heaven, although he'd punch out the lights of anyone who voiced that thought aloud.

It's not even his fucking fault he keeps losing; Kagami's exuberant yelling keeps throwing him off. Not as badly as his absurdly happy smiles do, though, tossed casually over his shoulder every time his virtual car gets into the lead.

 _Focus on the damn game, not the stupid idiot beside you,_ he yells at himself. Passing the grand stand for the second lap, Kagami's face pops into his mind, eyes wide with surprise, the tips of his ears red. Pulling ahead of another car, sticking the turn tight, the feel of Kagami's mouth creeps back into his head, tongue velvet soft, more defensive than assertive. And as the "you lose" banner floats past his side of the screen again, all he's thinking of is how Kagami seems so plain and earnest, simplicity to a fault; it's hard to read something when there aren't enough letters provided. He's like a round of Wheel of Fortune, and Daiki has no fucking clue how to solve the puzzle. What is he _thinking?_

There's got to be more than just videogames in his head. There has to be. Daiki considers himself a bit of an expert on kissing, and the one they'd shared had been sexy as hell. So why wasn't he saying anything about it? Asshole.

"Four out of seven," Kagami informs him enthusiastically. "I'm the king of this game, _yess!_ "

"I can still cream you on the court," Daiki replies, putting his controller down and lacing his hands behind his head. Mostly to stretch out his fingers, which are starting to cramp, but also to make it look like he doesn't care. "Don't get too cocky."

"Wanna play tomorrow?" He sounds even more excited. Like a kid in a candy store. Like...a Tiger at Maji Burger.

Daiki closes his eyes and tries to keep his smile down. "I dunno. I still gotta get home...I have plans tomorrow."

"Plans?"

Daiki smirks, catching the curiosity in Kagami's voice. "I was gonna spend tomorrow sleeping. It's getting late, I should go...it's a long walk..." _Take the fucking bait, idiot._

"...What if you didn't have to waste time going home?"

Daiki cracks open one eye. Kagami appears serious and thoughtful, completely oblivious to Daiki's egging. "Whaddaya mean?"

"Like, d'you wanna stay here tonight?" His cheeks go redder than an apple. "If the couch is okay..."

"Nah. Don't really feel like sleeping on your crappy couch."

Kagami's face crumples in disappointment, wrenching Daiki's heart in a terrible way. A way he didn't think it could still go. But a brief moment later his eyes flit back up, filling with light. "I'll sleep on the couch, then."

 _You stupid angel._ "I don't wanna sleep in your bed without you in it," Daiki mumbles. Maybe Kagami won't even hear him...

"I-I told you, I'm not- I don't..."

Daiki hooks his elbow over the back of the couch, leaning closer in to study Kagami's face. "Just sleeping. Regular sleeping. Okay?"

"But in the same bed?"

"Yeah."

Kagami considers it, brows furrowed. Daiki forgets not to get his hopes up. "Wouldn't that be weird?"

With pins and needles in his chest, feeling like the air's been sucked out of the room, Daiki throws himself into his next action before he has time to talk himself out of it. He slouches over, resting his chin on Kagami's shoulder. His skin is warm, even through the t-shirt. Daiki's starting to suspect that Kagami's always warm, an inferno, while Daiki's always having to shroud himself in layers of thick clothing so he won't freeze his ass off, even in summer. Maybe it's because Kagami's muscles are bulkier where his are leaner, another thing he can feel through the t-shirt.

Kagami doesn't pull away or push Daiki off. So, taking a fortifying breath, Daiki uses the newest weapon he's found he has at his disposal. "It wouldn't be weird...Tiger." He whispers the last word, feeling Kagami tremble as he says it. God, he wants to get him naked, lay him bare and touch him all over, but he wants other things, too. "We can just...cuddle."

Kagami remains in stasis for a while, not answering but still letting Daiki use his shoulder as a pillow. Daiki plays a game with himself, trying to match his breathing with the steady rise and fall of Kagami's chest. "Okay," Kagami says, in that absurdly natural tone. "But if you steal all the blankets I'm kicking you out."

Daiki snorts, hiding his smile. "Out in the rain?" he whines. "But I'll catch a cold." 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [rosaveritas.tumblr.com](http://rosaveritas.tumblr.com) or [@maguro_hime](https://twitter.com/maguro_hime)
> 
> I spend a lot of time crying about sports idiots and you're more than welcome to join me.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "You can call me Taiga," he murmurs. "All my friends in America did." Precious few people call him that since he came back to Japan. Not even Kuroko.
> 
> "Taiga," Aomine says, promptly testing it out. Taiga loves how it sounds in his voice. "You gonna call me Daiki?"
> 
> Taiga coughs, ears burning. He's glad Aomine can't see in the dark. "Maybe."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *finally earns that M rating* I swear to god I'm gonna have a stroke trying to finish this fic...
> 
> Special thanks to Nira for all the help with biracial Aomine hcs!

The state of Kagami's apartment both baffles and intrigues Daiki. If left in a similar living situation, Daiki would never keep everything so clean and organized; there are no dirty dishes anywhere (aside from the mugs from their hot chocolate and the bowl Kagami brought out for the popcorn...a massive bowl, probably meant for punch or something, which Kagami had consumed three quarters of all on his own, somehow still mindlessly munching as he stares transfixed at the TV) and even the floor seems swept and mopped with at least _some_ frequency. There aren't dust bunnies living in the corners like there are in Daiki's room.

"Hey." He kicks Kagami's ankle.

Kagami doesn't even take his eyes off the screen. "What?"

"Did you clean before I got here, or does it always look like this?"

Kagami shrugs, feeding another handful of popcorn into his mouth. He chews and swallows before he answers; Daiki watches his throat bob and the way he wipes the popcorn butter from his lips with the back of his hand. They probably taste salty... "If I keep it tidy during the week there's less to do on Sunday."

"How old are you, again?"

Finally, Kagami looks at him, wearing an exasperated smile. "Shut up." He may as well have grabbed Daiki's heart between his buttery fingers and squeezed.

He digs his nails into the arm of the couch, keeping his ass firmly seated on his end proving to be a challenge. He tries to focus on the TV screen, but the Japanese subtitles Kagami graciously put up for him but more distracting than they are helpful. All he knows is that for a bunch of warriors, the men in this movie sure aren't wearing a lot of armor. They aren't wearing a lot of anything. And Kagami's so into it... "Who's that guy?"

"Gerard Butler. Shhh."

There's a lot of blood and killing and cool swishing capes and all the actors are smoking hot and _buff,_ the exact kind of movie Daiki'd normally have to beg Satsuki to watch with him and then she'd roll her eyes and spend the entire movie covertly texting instead of paying attention. So why is it bothering him so much that Kagami won't look away?

After about ten more tortured minutes of constantly blinking his eyes back into focus, Daiki sighs. "What kind of phone you got?"

"Uh...Android? Why?"

"I'm borrowing your charger."

"'Kay. 'S'in my room by the bed." All without sparing even one glance.

_Fine._

Daiki heads there without another word, making sure to take his sweet time crossing in front of the TV. Kagami only cranes his head to look around, shoving more popcorn into his mouth.

To Daiki's relief, the bedroom is slightly less tidy than the rest of the house. There are some papers and receipts scattered on top of the dresser, a pair of dirty socks and a crumpled t-shirt lying in the corner. It's nice knowing Kagami's not completely perfect, even if his mess is only a hundredth of the scale of Daiki's.

The bed isn't made either, one pillow down at the foot, the sheets and comforter tangled up and shoved aside. Kagami's got a bed wider than Daiki's. Maybe he stretches out when he sleeps, like a starfish. Daiki pictures him sleeping, one leg falling out of bed, twitching as he dreams about...basketball, probably. It really does seem to be his primary interest, judging by the posters on his walls and the sports magazine on his bedside table. Right next to the charger.

Daiki pulls out his phone and plugs it in, noticing a text from Satsuki when the screen lights up. He sits cautiously on the bed, vaguely noting how comfortable the mattress is- not too soft, those ones are the worst. Two hours until his phone charges. Down the hall, he can hear the Gerard Butler movie still blaring. He's cold, the apartment's cold, but this room is warm...the blanket's here, and it doesn't smell as clean as the sweater Daiki has on.

He leans closer to the pillow, inhaling. The faint scent of Kagami's shampoo, like green apples, and sweat. It just smells like _Kagami._ Daiki gives in to his impulsive urges, laying his cheek down and swinging his legs up.

After answering Satsuki's message (wondering if he wants to hang out tomorrow, to which he replies in the negatory,) his thumb hovers automatically over the icon for his favourite app. He presses it, opening his inbox. No new messages; of course not, nobody ever talks to him on here. Not that he usually initiates a lot of conversation. Except for Tiger, of course.

 

 

 

To: **orange-with-stripes**

come to bed. ur a terrible host, im so bored

**-stealingabiteofyourlunch**

 

No answer. Hm. Time to look through all of Kagami's dresser drawers. And the closet. He needs something to sleep in, after all. He shivers and tightens the drawstrings on his hoodie. Who the fuck ever heard of sleeping in a sweater? Even if it's freezing. He's interested in seeing what kind of pajamas he can find around here, anyway.

 

 

 

 

 

It's not until the credits start rolling that Taiga notices Aomine still hasn't returned from getting the phone charger. A glance around the corner reveals Aomine's shoes still sitting by the front door; he really should do something about those, maybe put them next to the oven on low heat so they can dry.

"Aomine? Hey, you here?" His own voice echoes weakly off the living room walls. His phone blinks at him from the coffee table. A new message. He stares at the screen. "I am _not_ a terrible host, you asshole!"

He stomps down the hallway to his room, throwing the door open, and then immediately wishing he hadn't. Aomine's asleep, curled up in bed with the blanket pulled up over him like a cocoon. He's squished up in the corner, somehow appearing a lot smaller than he really is. Surprising; Kagami would have expected him to be as selfish when he's sleeping as he is everywhere else.

He should just go. Quietly back out of the room, shut the door, go stay on the couch for the night. He takes a step forward. And another. "Aomine."

A quiet groan. "Five more minutes." His face pokes out of the top of the blanket, eyes squinted. "Kagami?"

"You fell asleep."

"Your stupid movie over?"

Taiga sits gingerly on the edge of the bed, cursing himself for feeling so awkward. It's _his_ bed, and _his_ house. "Go back to sleep."

Aomine props himself up, blanket sliding down to his waist. Taiga's blood runs cold.

"Please tell me you're wearing something under that."

Aomine cocks his head to the side, raising an eyebrow. "Nah, I'm completely naked."

"What the _fu-_ "

"I'm kidding!" He pulls the comforter the rest of the way off, revealing the boxers Taiga gave him earlier. He lays back with his hands laced behind his head. "If I was would you hate it that much?"

"For fuck's sake, Aomine." _No, I wouldn't. And that's the problem._

"Don't worry, prude." He looks away, no sting in his words. "I'll put my pants back on...I was too cold, then I got too hot. Sorry."

"It's fine. I'm just gonna sleep on the couch, you do whatever you want." He makes to stand, but Aomine catches his wrist, holding him firm and tugging.

"Stay! C'mon. What are you, scared?"

Taiga scowls. "No, but it...isn't this...weird? Kuroko always sleeps on the couch when he stays ov-"

"I'm not Tetsu," Aomine growls, eyes stormy. "I hate sleeping alone."

"I...I could sleep on the floor here or something."

Aomine's frown deepens, darkening the shadows on his face. "What are you so afraid is gonna happen? I sleep with Satsuki all the fucking time and it's fine."

"...In the same bed?"

"Yeah."

"Yeah, well. She probably doesn't wear your boxers to bed and-"

"She does." Aomine crosses his arms over his chest, giving a triumphant smirk. "All the time."

Taiga finally sinks back onto the mattress, pulling his feet up to sit cross-legged, trying to make out Aomine's face more clearly in the meager light offered by the hall light streaming through the open door. He can't tell if he's lying or not. "So. You and Satsuki...?"

"Eh. She's like, my sister. Except closer." He smiles, eyes distant. "I knew you'd ask eventually."

"Yeah? Well you say you're into boobs, and she's got 'em, that's for sure."

Aomine grins. "So do you."

"I do fucking _not,_ " Taiga protests, slightly more shrill in his disbelief than he would have liked. "I got pecs, _pecs._ Totally different. Nothing jiggly here at all."

"Yeah? You gonna let me check one of these days?"

Taiga whacks him softly with his pillow, pleased that Aomine doesn't anticipate it in time to get his arms up. "I dunno, that seems like bad hosting."

"Seems like _good_ hosting. Best way to get a satisfied customer."

"Hey, what kind of establishment d'you think I'm running here?"

Aomine sighs, smile still playing on his lips. "You're sleeping in here, right?" He pulls the blanket up over Taiga's legs as if to trap him.

"You aren't even a paying customer," Taiga grumbles to himself, half worrying about the hall lights still being on. He could just get up for a minute and turn them off, maybe check and see how Aomine's things are drying...but it _is_ comfortable and warm in bed. He could maybe rest his eyes for a minute and _then_ do it.

"Kagami?" Something hot touches his thigh as he settles down, laying his head on the pillow and letting his eyes close.

"Hm."

"Tiger." Aomine's breath is warm on his face, still smelling like chocolate. He's so close, voice rumbling through Taiga's body and heating him from the inside like a furnace. "I get a goodnight kiss, right?"

Warm lips on his, soft and sweet, lingering on him as he drifts off. Fingers in his hair, like his mom used to touch him when he was a kid, home with the flu...  "You can call me Taiga," he murmurs. "All my friends in America did." Precious few people call him that since he came back to Japan. Not even Kuroko.

"Taiga," Aomine says, promptly testing it out. Taiga loves how it sounds in his voice. "You gonna call me Daiki?"

Taiga coughs, ears burning. He's glad Aomine can't see in the dark. "Maybe."

"Hey." The sheets crinkle as Aomine rolls onto his belly, eyes shining. Taiga moves onto his side, back facing the door, so he can face him. "Who's that guy on your team you said you have a crush on? ...Tetsu?"

"....Kiyoshi." In the faint light, Taiga can make out Aomine's shoulders shaking. "Don't laugh, he's nice, okay?"

"You like nice guys? That sounds...so boring."

Taiga sighs. "Kiyoshi isn't boring, but whatever. It's just a stupid...I dunno." He fiddles with the ring on the chain around his neck. "Now I got my eye on someone else, so it doesn't matter."

"...I can't believe you like _nice_ guys."

Taiga grins, probing out in the dark with his foot to give Aomine a sharp kick. "This new guy I like is a total asshole!"

Next thing he knows, he's being crushed under Aomine's weight, hands in his hair, lips pressed against his own. "Taiga," Aomine whispers breathlessly, breaking away. Taiga locks eyes with him, wriggling his arm free. He hooks it around Aomine's neck, tugging his fingers through the soft hair at the nape of his neck before pulling him back into the kiss. This time _he's_ the one to coax Aomine's mouth open with his tongue, his free hand sliding down Aomine's unclothed back until it gets to the band of his boxers.

"Shit," Aomine groans, hard against Taiga's thigh. "Why're you doing this if you don't wanna fuck?"

"I like kissing you," Taiga answers, heart racing. He's sure nobody's ever had a voice so sexy, dark and indulgent like black forest cake. "'S'not my fault you get turned on."

"You're turned on, too," Aomine leers. "Don't even fucking lie." He rubs his hand over the crotch of Taiga's pajamas, brushing him through the thin fabric.

He shivers, pushing Aomine's hand away. "I don't wanna fuck this up," he admits. "I don't just want sex. I want...like." His hands go numb, blood cold. "A real boyfriend. Dates and holding hands and talking about important stuff and, and meeting each other's parents. All that lame stuff and _don't fucking laugh at me!_ "

"I'm not laughing." It takes a minute for Taiga's panicky mind to register that he's really and truly not. "...You're right," Aomine continues, voice muted. "Kiyoshi's probably way better. Satsuki's parents still don't even like me."

And with that, Taiga's fears are realized, his hopes crashing down around him like so much broken glass. "Yeah. I figured you weren't really boyfriend material. So it's better if we just...go back the way we were."

Strong hands pin him down, Aomine still hovering over him, wearing an intense glare. "How the hell are we supposed to go back to normal after all this?" he growls. "I can _be_ boyfriend material."

Taiga doesn't mean to make the look of condescending disbelief that he does. He also doesn't mean for Aomine to see it and recognize it for what it is, but he does.

"I can," he reiterates, eyes downcast. When he looks up again, there's a dark, angry cast to them. "I could date the shit out of you."

"Then do it," Taiga snaps. "I want you to."

" _Fine._ We're going on a date tomorrow."

"...Oh. We're still gonna play street ball, right?"

Aomine snorts, finally climbing off Taiga and settling back onto his side of the bed. "I swear you have a basketball for a brain."

"My dad always says that," Taiga yawns, trying to hide it with the back of his hand. _A real date, a date with Aomine Daiki._ "Hey. What kind of guys do _you_ like?"

Aomine doesn't hesitate for a second. "I like nice guys, too," he says, like it's some joke that Taiga's supposed to understand.

 

 

 

 

 

Taiga's own snoring causes him to jolt awake. Sunlight streams through the blinds, falling right across his eyes, and he's way too hot. He tries to kick the blanket off, but it's heavy and stifling and tangled up around his legs. He gives it a hard kick and... it groans, tightening its grip on him.

Propping himself up on his elbows, Taiga peers down on Aomine's sleeping face. He's somehow shifted down the bed, his legs wrapped around Taiga's, arms around his waist, using his stomach as a pillow. In sleep, the usual furrows on his face are gone, replaced with a look of pure contentment. Awake, Aomine's expressions range from pouty disdain to feral excitement, all of which, in Tiaga's personal opinion, make him look like a haughty cover model for Vogue. But like this he's vulnerable, sweeter, stripped of all the layers of emotion that fuel him. Almost...angelic.

Taiga's hand hovers just over Aomine's cheek- he wants to close the gap between them, touch the smooth brown skin, trace the line of his eyebrows (which Taiga stubbornly refuses to admit he's jealous of; it's possible to enjoy the way other people's eyebrows look without depreciating his own. They're only eyebrows after all, nothing more) but he hesitates, not wanting to wake him up.

What time is it, anyway? Taiga fumbles for his phone, lighting the screen up to check. Just past eight in the morning, and the notification light is blinking at him. He clicks into the app.

 

 

 

To: **orange-with-stripes**

i cant sleep.

**-stealingabiteofyourlunch**

 

To: **orange-with-stripes**

like...its rly hard to sleep when ur just...here next to me. but in a good way? i feel...idk. comfortable i guess? its weird.

**-stealingabiteofyourlunch**

 

To: **orange-with-stripes**

thanks for today btw. ur great. and idk im glad u wanna do street ball for a date cuz i wouldnt rly know what else to do. besides food cuz i know u love food. ya im taking u for food, k?

am i sposed to get u flowers? would u like that? or like. one of those boquets made outta bacon or something. SRSLY HAVE U SEEN THOSE THINGS here: http://www.ourbestbites.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/Bacon-roses-hrz.jpg THEY ARE SHAPED LIKE ACTUAL ROSES WHAT THE FUCK. mad respect to whoever makes these things

u have to share with me tho

**-stealingabiteofyourlunch**

 

Taiga smiles, clicking the link. Bacon rolled up to look like roses? Simple enough, he can probably make those for breakfast if he can find barbeque skewers. He jumps as his phone buzzes in his hand, indicating an incoming call. He doesn't recognize the number.

He manages to extricate himself from Aomine's grip without waking him up (though he does grope blindly into the empty space and pull Taiga's pillow into his arms as a substitute.) He patters into the hall, closing the bedroom door behind him before picking up the call. "Hello?"

"Is this Kagami? Kagami Taiga?"

He doesn't recognize the woman's voice, thick with an accent he can't place right away. "Uh. Yeah, speaking."

"Is Daiki with you?"

"Y-Yeah, he's here. Who is this?"

"Oh! Aomine Padma, Daiki's mother," she explains, voice softening. Suddenly the accent clicks. "What am I going to do with that boy! He usually comes home late but he wasn't in his bed this morning and he didn't even _text,_ " she grumbles.

"Don't worry, he's fine."  

"I swear every last grey hair on my head is because of him...promise me you would never give your poor mother a heart attack like this, Kagami."

Taiga's surprise makes way for amusement, and he chuckles as she continues fussing. "I promise."

She pauses. "Is your mother there? I hope he's not imposing on her, tell her I apologize."

"That's not...I mean. She's not here, so it's not a problem." Taiga cradles the phone on his shoulder so he can open the fridge and gather ingredients for breakfast. An omelette sounds pretty good.

"Your father?"

"Uh. No. I live alone, actually. They work overseas so-"

"Oh my, you poor boy! How are you? Are you eating well? How long have you been there by yourself, do you have clean laundry? Groceries?"

"Yeah, I'm okay!" Warmth blossoms in his chest as he starts cracking eggs into a bowl. "I'm making breakfast for us right now. Bacon and eggs."

"You make sure my Daiki helps you with the dishes. And you're welcome to join us for dinner any day you like. Daiki barely ever invites his friends over anymore, so we'd love to have you."

Taiga whisks the eggs, nodding a morning greeting to Aomine as he comes into the kitchen, wearing nothing but boxers, stifling a yawn. He decides to be nice and not rat him out to his mother. "Thank you for the offer, Aomine-san," he says, loudly enough for Aomine to hear. His eyes instantly widen and Taiga almost snorts at how comical he looks. "Maybe I will sometime. I promise I'll make sure he gets home safe."

"You are such a dear boy," she says. "You tell him to call me when he wakes up."

"I will." He meets Aomine's eyes as he hangs up.

"Was that...?"

"Your mom, yeah," Taiga says brightly, smiling. "She says you gave her all her grey hairs. And also that you have to help me do the dishes. I like her."

"How the _fuck_ did she even get your phone number? Oh my god." He cradles his face in his hands.

Taiga clicks his text message notifications, finding a heads-up text from Kuroko from about fifteen minutes before. "Looks like Momoi got it for her from Kuroko...he says he's sorry. I don't know what for, though. I seriously think she's great."

"She invite you over for dinner?"

"Yeah."

Aomine wilts in on himself, glaring at the refrigerator. "Look. I know you said you want...boyfriend stuff and like, meeting parents and all that, but...she...I haven't told her yet. Or my dad. They don't know about me and I don't...think..." He takes a breath. "I don't think she'd be good with it."

Taiga drops his whisk before he even knows what's going on, crossing the kitchen to wrap his arms around Aomine and pat his back. Aomine instantly tenses and he expects to be pushed away, but after a moment he feels fingers clutching his t-shirt and warm breath on his neck as Aomine leans into the hug. "I won't out you," Taiga promises, feeling Aomine's back rise and fall. "That'd be fuckin shitty."

Aomine's quiet for a long time, which Taiga's somewhat grateful for. It's pleasant, just the two of them, touching but not talking. "How'd you tell your folks?" Aomine finally asks.

"We were watching Glee," Taiga confesses, slightly self-conscious, as if Aomine would even know what Glee is. "There're some gay guys in it and they're kinda, stereotypical I guess? And I just said something like not all gay guys are that...flamboyant. And my parents kinda looked at me and...yeah. So I told 'em. And then we kept watching and they never really said anything about it until later, y'know, when they told me they were okay with it."

"...I have no fucking _clue_ how my parents would react. My mom's always making these comments when stuff comes up on the news, and...I like to think she'd love me anyway 'cause I'm her kid, but I'm..."

"It's scary. I get it. Terrifying, even."

"Yeah?" Aomine pulls back enough to lock Taiga's eyes. His shine bright and hard, like blue agate in the morning sun, entrancing. "You should make me feel better. That's your job if we're gonna date, right?"

"Right." Kissing Aomine's starting to feel as natural as dribbling a basketball. At the moment, he's not even sure which one he likes better. Aomine's surprisingly warm and inviting, tongue licking hungrily into his mouth, hands twisting themselves in Taiga's hair.

Taiga's runs his hands gingerly over Aomine's shoulder blades, feeling out the grooves of his back muscles with his palms. Skin so smooth, taut beneath his fingers, warm to the touch. He angles his mouth, one hand sliding up to grip the back of Aomine's neck, toying with the soft hair at his nape.

Aomine makes soft noises, breathing hard through his nose, lowering his hands to cup Taiga's ass. His hard-on presses against Taiga's crotch, and, with his mind hazy, Taiga spreads his legs a little, letting him get closer. Aomine gyrates his hips, the fluid motion putting delicious friction on Taiga's cock. He gasps, Aomine tugging his head back by the hair and trailing his lips down Taiga's jawline. "I want you," he murmurs against Taiga's throat.

Aomine's voice trickles slowly down Taiga's spine, flooding his belly with heat. "Fuck, Daiki," he groans, protests melting away as Aomine continues to nip at his collarbone. Then there's a hand under his shirt, fingers tracing his abs, running down the line of hair leading from his navel into his pajama bottoms. His stomach clenches as Aomine teases him over his pants, cupping his cock and stroking it harder.

"You okay with this?"

Taiga sinks his fingertips into Aomine's shoulders, gripping him tight and nodding. "Y-Yeah, I'm good," he gulps, trying to hide how much his legs are shaking. He pulls Aomine close, crushing their lips together once more, hoping to convey the words he's having trouble saying. Aomine kisses him back, ravenously, nipping at his lower lip. He slides his hand into Taiga's pants, grazing his length with his palm, and Taiga jolts, the contact electric.

Aomine closes his hand around Taiga's cock. "Wait. You...you're cut?"

"Yeah," Taiga replies, hiding his burning face. "Is that weird?"

Aomine steps back, pulling out the waistband of Taiga's pajamas so he can look. "Whoa. Never seen one before."

Taiga's still in his hand, Aomine's scrutiny only sending more heat to his crotch. "Are you just gonna stare or...?"

"Hell no," Aomine says, pumping his fist. It's a light, teasing stroke.

"Sh-shit, harder," Taiga moans, closing his hand around Aomine's. "Tighter. Like this."

"Now you're really just jerking yourself off, you know," Aomine teases. Taiga retaliates by grinding his free palm over Aomine's own bulge, half-surprised at how firm it is already.

Aomine releases him, hooking his thumbs under the waistband of his boxers and shimmying them down around his hips, revealing sharp v-lines and a thick thatch of dark hair before his cock springs free, hard and heavy, tip already wet.

He fists his erection, giving it a leisurely stroke, his smirk dangerous. "Ever heard of docking?"

Taiga snorts, punching his shoulder. "We are _not_ fucking doing that." But he can't tear his eyes off the motion of Aomine's hand as he touches himself, teasing the tip with this index finger. It comes away sticky and wet, and Taiga's cock twitches just from watching.

He grips his own dick, nice and firm, pulling Aomine close enough for their thighs to touch. He's fixated on the way Aomine's foreskin moves, how slick his cock is. His fist glides smoothly, face tinged pink with pleasure. Taiga wishes he had lotion, his own dick dry compared to Aomine's, but he pumps harder, thrusting his hips into the tight circle made by his fingers.

Aomine leans against Taiga's shoulder, catching his lips in another searing kiss. He pulls away with a sharp nip. "Whoever comes first-" he grunts.

"-pays for our movie tonight," Taiga finishes, moving his hand to take over stroking Aomine's cock. It takes some getting used to, his skin soft like velvet, wet and far more sensitive than his own. He pumps slower, more gently, loving the way Aomine's fingers feel on him in turn, offering steady, firm pressure.

"Fuck," Aomine mutters, burying his face Taiga's neck, this time latching on with his mouth, sucking hard. Taiga shudders and groans, Aomine's teeth on him sending a searing thrill to his nipples, his belly, his cock. "Getting close, Taiga. I can tell." And Taiga can _feel_ his triumphant smirk.

Taiga trails his other hand down Aomine's back, slipping his hand down the back of his boxers to squeeze his ass, enjoying the resulting shiver. "I'm not losing," he gasps, even though his hips move desperately against Aomine's hand.

The knot in Taiga's belly grows tighter and tighter with each thrust; with his knees weak and shaking, he leans against Aomine for support. _I'm so losing,_ he thinks, white mist ebbing into his brain.

"I want you in my mouth so bad," Aomine rumbles in his ear, fondling the tip of Taiga's cock before giving a few more tugs. That voice, that dark, predatory voice, makes Taiga's pulse race, his thighs quaking as he comes, screwing his eyes shut, nails digging into Aomine's skin.

His groan is embarrassingly loud, come painting his own wrist as he continues to stroke Aomine off. "Fu- _fuck,_ " Aomine stutters, hips picking up speed. He goes to reach for himself, but Taiga slaps his hand away, determined. He swipes his thumb over Aomine's tip, noting the shiver it elicits, and does it again, impulsively bending down to kiss Aomine's chest, licking one nipple and tweaking the other between his fingers. Tremors wrack through Aomine's body as he clings tightly to Taiga's t-shirt, eyes closed, mouth in a tight line as he orgasms, come spurting over Taiga's thigh in hot, sticky streaks.

They stand together, still touching, Taiga resting against the counter behind him, nothing between them but their laboured breathing. It's not unlike the moments on the court when they stand off against each other, gauging each other, waiting for the whistle to blow. "So. That happened," Taiga whispers, grinning.

"Yeah," Aomine says. "You're taking me to a movie, then?"

Taiga gulps, meeting Aomine's eyes, and nods. "But you still owe me bacon roses."

"Oh," Aomine replies, surprising Taiga with his dark flush. "Forgot about those."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [rosaveritas.tumblr.com](http://rosaveritas.tumblr.com)


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "One more."
> 
> "You can barely even stand up anymore," Aomine says, gasping raggedly. 
> 
> To prove him wrong, Taiga straightens his back, taking a step forward. "Come on. Bring it."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I do apologize for keeping you waiting. Hopefully the length of the chapter will somewhat make up for the length of the wait.
> 
> Hehe. _Length._

Daiki leans on the counter, watching Kagami cook. And cook. And _cook._ An absolutely insane amount of food, enough for a family of six. Eggs, bacon, pancakes; a full American breakfast. But if he's being honest with himself, he's more interested in the way Kagami's biceps flex as he ladles more batter into the hot pan, completely invested in his task. As if the events of fifteen minutes ago have left no lingering effects on him.

He moves with the efficiency of a Sunday morning cook show host, utterly capable, all utensils and ingredients placed precisely where he needs them. Sometimes he doesn't even look up, reaching blindly for the spatula or measuring cup he knows is there. He also has a habit of tidying up as he goes, not a single moment wasted watching the bubbles in the pancakes pop or wondering if the toaster's ever going to pop. Just the smooth movement of Kagami's fingers cracking eggs into a bowl is almost enough to tip Daiki into a mini existential crisis.  

Kagami glances at him as he flips a pancake, smiling and wiping the sweat from his forehead (simultaneously replacing it with a smudge of flour.) "How many do you want?"

"I dunno. Three," Daiki estimates, looking at the stack of what has to be at least a dozen already sitting on a platter. What kind of teenager living alone drags out an honest-to-goodness serving _platter_ just to make his...friend...breakfast? "What are you gonna do with all the leftovers?"

"Hm? What leftovers?"

Daiki smirks, his excitement growing. "I've seen you eat like ten burgers at once before, but do you seriously eat like this for every meal _every fucking day_?"

"Yep."

"Must be a tapeworm," Daiki replies, reaching across the counter to snatch a piece of bacon. Kagami watches him do it, but doesn't swat his hand like his mother would. "Else it's impossible for you not to weigh five hundred pounds."

"I work out every day on top of going to practice," Kagami tells him patiently, turning off the stove. "Instead of skipping to nap on the roof. And stop eating all the fucking bacon, save some for me. I'm starving."

"Hey, I don't do that anymore," Daiki argues, grabbing two more crispy strips of bacon even though he's still chewing on his last one. "Satsuki makes me go."

"Kinda cute how she's so tiny but she's totally the boss of you," Kagami chuckles.

"As if Tetsu isn't the boss of _you._ Besides, Satsuki's...look. You learn to listen to her. She's a force of nature."

Kagami stares at him, a plate in either hand on his way to the table. "Like you."

"What?"

"Sometimes I forget she's really part of the Generation of Miracles," Kagami continues, taking a seat and picking up his fork. He's put out a fork for Daiki, too, but it's wasted effort. Daiki plans on loading them with butter and whipped cream and rolling them into tubes to eat with his hands. "She seems cool."

"She's-" He's cut off by the blare of his phone going off. "Shit shit _shit_ it's probably mom," he fumbles it out of his pocket, checking the display. Momoi. He gets a chill, irrationally worried that she somehow heard them talking about her. He hesitantly presses the answer button, bringing it to his ear. "What?"

"Good morning," she says brightly, voice clear and melodic over the fuzzy background noise. "So I got this phone call earlier. From your mom."

Daiki's stomach sinks. He knows where this is going. "And?"

"You stayed at Kagamin's place last night?"

Daiki wishes she could see him rolling his eyes. "It was raining. Didn't wanna walk home."

"...Are you still at his place?"

He glances at Kagami, who's attacking a formidable pile of eggs with the gusto of a rescued shipwreck survivor. "...Yeah."

"Dai- _chan._ "

"Shut up."

"I didn't say anything!"

"You said it with your- shut up, I can still hear you even when you aren't talking." He swats at the back of his neck, turning toward the refrigerator so Kagami won't notice his blush. Kagami's probably too busy with his breakfast to care about the conversation anyway. "It's annoying."

Momoi pauses, clearing her throat. "Are you guys doing anything today?"

"Street ball. Then a movie later, I guess." He peers at Kagami as he mentions the result of their bet, and he must actually be listening because he starts choking, reaching for a glass of orange juice. Daiki grins.

"Would you wanna meet up with me and Tetsu-kun later?" There's a muffled crackle and a soft thud, as if she's switching the phone to her other ear. "We're going to the pet store." Another muffled sound. "Ki-chan might come."

Sighing, Daiki considers the possible benefits of accepting her offer. Momoi gathering information so she can interrogate him later, Kuroko probably stealing away most of Kagami's attention...there _are_ no benefits. He frowns. "What the hell for?"

"Tetsu-kun needs something for Nigou," she replies. "He wants to see you. And _I_ think I should start hanging out with Kagamin more, since he's practically one of us."

"Why don't you just fucking text him then, you have his number now."

"Great idea, maybe I will! We'll see you in a bit!"

"No, Sat-" he's met by the dull tone of her hanging up. "-suki. Dammit." Daiki pockets his phone, rubbing his temples. So much for a relaxing day. He shakes his head and takes a seat across from Kagami, amazed at the noticeable dent he's already put in the spread.

"For the longest time I actually thought you were talking to your mom," Kagami says pleasantly from around a mouthful of toast. "Until you told her to shut up." He shoves the rest of the piece of bread in all at once, cheeks stuffed full like a squirrel, a smear of jam on his lip.

Daiki leans on his elbows, entranced by the motion of Kagami's jaw as he chews. They lock eyes, Kagami furrowing his brow in curiosity. After a few moments of staring, he swallows. "What?"

Daiki pushes himself up, stretching across the table to cup Kagami's chin. Kagami doesn't pull away, but blinks rapidly in surprise, mouth puckered into a confused pout. Testing the effect he's having, Daiki swipes the jam off his lip with his thumb, then releases him. He keeps his eyes latched to Kagami's, licking it off before drawing his thumb into his mouth.

Kagami falls slack jawed, eyes blazing, and Daiki refuses to break his gaze first. _Let me suck your cock, Taiga,_ he silently screams.

Inch by inch, Kagami leaves his seat, leaning towards Daiki with a determined expression. "If you want jam," he says, placing the glass container next to Daiki's plate. "Just take some."

Daiki gives a disappointed nod, dropping his eyes to read the label. _Country Raspberry_. The most innocuous flavour possible. Warm fingers caress Daiki's face, tilting it up. Kagami leans closer, pressing their lips together. "And if you want a kiss," he murmurs softly, "take that, too."

Daiki's transfixed, watching Kagami's face as he sits back down. Calm, collected, almost cool...the next instant, his whole face turns brighter than Country Raspberry jam, which he attempts to hide by covering his burning cheeks with his hands.

"Smooth," Daiki laughs, drinking in the rare sight.

Kagami groans. "Shut up."

 

 

 

 

 

Taiga takes a moment to catch his breath, hands on his knees. He glares at Aomine from across the pavement; he's also breathing heavy, though his legs don't seem to be shaking as bad as Taiga's are. Crap. "One more."

"You can barely even stand up anymore," Aomine says, gasping raggedly.

To prove him wrong, Taiga straightens his back, taking a step forward. "Come on. Bring it."

"Guess I could kick your ass one more time," he replies, wiping the sweat off his upper lip before dropping the ball. He's maneuvering at full force despite the fatigue of playing in the heat for nearly two hours.

Taiga's calves burn as he works to catch up, snatching the ball as passes. He feints and changes directions, heading for Aomine's hoop, only to stop so abruptly he nearly topples over. "Kuroko!" Distracted by Kuroko's sudden appearance at the edge of the court, his stupid dog in tow, Taiga loses the ball to Aomine, who casually shoots a three before Taiga can even think of stealing it back. He can tell by Aomine's cocky smirk that it went in, so he doesn't bother turning around, making his way straight over to Kuroko instead.

"Good afternoon," Kuroko greets them. Nigou lurches to the end of his leash, barking at both Taiga and Aomine in turn. Taiga stifles the twinge of unease in his stomach, but stays far enough away that the dog can't reach him.

"Hey, Tetsu," Aomine says easily, crouching down to scratch behind Nigou's ears. "Satsuki coming?"

"Yes. Her dog isn't as well behaved, though."

Sweat trickles down Taiga's back, making his t-shirt cling uncomfortably to his skin. "Another dog?" He tries to keep his voice level. "Is...is it big?"

"Pretty big," Kuroko answers placidly. "There they are now."

"Kuroko," Taiga growls, relief washing over him as he spots Momoi, Kise bouncing along at her side. They both wave as they come through the opening in the chain link fence.

Momoi flashes a brilliant smile, squatting next to Aomine to shower Nigou with an unnatural amount of attention. Her voice is so shrill as she coos endearments at him that Taiga can't even make out what she's saying. He takes the opportunity to edge farther away, wondering what in the world is supposed to be so great about dogs in the first place. They're smelly and whiny and jumpy and they don't _listen-_

"Kagamicchi? You there?"

Taiga blinks out of his reverie. "What? Uh. Yeah."

"Ahh great," Kise sings, putting down his bag. "I _told_ Momocchi you wouldn't be mad I tagged along. Wanna shoot some baskets while they're busy?" He motions to the other three, blowing his bangs out of his face, directing a slight pout at the back of Momoi's head.

"God yes," Taiga answers gratefully, a bit skeptical about Kise's ability to play in skinny jeans so tight they're practically glued to his legs. "I'll get the ball." It's rolled up against the fence opposite them and he doesn't have the energy to run. By the time he returns with it, Kuroko's tied Nigou's leash to the fence and they're arguing about teams.

"I don't need anyone," Aomine's saying. "As long as I get to play against Taiga I don't care." Taiga winces, hoping nobody asks why Aomine's suddenly calling him by his given name. He's pretty sure Kuroko noticed, though to Taiga's relief, he doesn't say anything.

"I wanna play Kagamicchi too," Kise adds enthusiastically. "I'll be on your team."

Kuroko gives Taiga a questioning look. "Us on one team, Aomine-kun and Kise-kun on the other?"

Taiga shrugs. "If they _really_ want to get crushed by Seirin's-"

" _Excuse me,_ " Momoi butts in, twisting her hair into a messy pile on the top of her head. "Whose team am _I_ on?"

Taiga almost laughs at Aomine's dumbstruck expression. "No," Aomine says, shaking his head. "You're kidding."

Momoi blows a strand of loose hair out of her face, smiling innocently. "I want to play with Tetsu-kun!"

Aomine looks at Taiga, eyes shining. "She's gonna be a serious handicap." He's met with a sharp jab in the ribs from her, which Taiga can't fault her for.

"You take her, then. Her and Kuroko, and I'll take Kise."

"No fucking way!"

"You said you don't even need a team," Taiga prods, kind of interested in seeing Kuroko and Aomine in action together. "What, scared of losing?"

"I'm not losing to you and, and _him,_ " Aomine snarls, gesturing vaguely in Kise's direction.

Kise gasps, offended. "Hey! Rude, much?"

When they finally turn to take their places on the court, Taiga's pretty sure he sees Momoi whispering something to Kuroko, though he's not quite close enough to them to make it out. Probably just her analysis of how her team is going to win. Or _try_ to win, anyway.

"I'll cover Momocchi," Kise tells Taiga in a hushed voice, uncharacteristically serious. "I think she'll be pretty easy but it's better to keep her away from- hey, are you listening?"

Taiga nods, unable to tear his attention away from Aomine, who's made a detour at the rickety wooden park bench. He turns his head, directly catching Taiga's eye before pulling his shirt over his head. Kise's voice recedes to a gentle hum in the background, anything he has to say comparatively unimportant.

Aomine positively _glistens_ in the sun, beads of sweat coursing over his dark skin, following the sharp lines of his shoulders and collecting in the small of his back. Taiga  away with some effort, face burning. If they were alone, perhaps Taiga would find the courage to take his own shirt off, too..

 

 

 

 

 

"It's sooooo cute," Momoi squeals, hair falling in her face. Daiki doesn't particularly care for the way she's crowding Kagami, both of them fawning over the pet store's available kittens. Well, Momoi _fawning,_ Kagami standing next to her with a slightly befuddled expression on his face, like he's not quite sure how he ended up there. Frankly, Daiki feels the same sense of confused apprehension; looking at kittens seems innocent enough, but he's sure Momoi has ulterior motives.

"Look at the black one sleeping," Kagami says. "Kinda cute."

"Oh my god, it looks like Dai-chan sleeping," Momoi giggles, resting a hand casually on Kagami's arm.

Daiki's just about to head over and break them up when Kuroko appears in the aisle beside him, holding up two different leashes. "Which one is better?"

"Uh." Daiki squints at the labels. "I dunno, they look the same."

Kuroko stares, only the slight tilt of his mouth indicating his dissatisfaction with Daiki's answer.

"Let Nigou pick, then. Geez."

Kuroko nods, happy with the solution. He heads toward Kise, who's waiting with Nigou at the front of the store, talking to a group of star-struck girls (including the cashier) who are taking turns fussing over both Kise and Nigou. Nigou seems to adore the attention, and while Kise outwardly appears to be enjoying it as well, relief floods his eyes when he spots them drawing close.

A couple of the girls give Daiki second glances, but he fends them off by glaring and shoving his hands in his pockets. _Tits are too small,_ he tells himself, trying not to think about the huge, muscular idiot at the back of the store, currently losing his cool over a cute _kitten._

Kuroko kneels in front of Nigou, holding up a leash in each hand. Nigou sniffs one, rapidly losing interest at the scent of cardboard and plastic packaging. He jumps up to lick Kuroko's face, and the girls shriek. They, at least, seem to be able to see Kuroko perfectly fine.

Kise takes his fans' momentary lapse of attention to stare wistfully in Momoi's direction, eyes pensive. She's still distracted, talking to the employee that's opening the kitten enclosure for them, completely unperturbed by Kise's predicament. Daiki almost feels sorry for him, but Kagami chooses that moment to turn and grin, holding up a tiny kitten for Daiki to see.

It's a tiny black puff of fur, nestled in Taiga's big, gentle hands. It opens its mouth, chewing enthusiastically on his thumb with tiny pin-like teeth. He doesn't even flinch, smiling down on it like some benevolent god, proud of his child's accomplishments.

"I think Nigou picked the right one," Kuroko says, suddenly at Daiki's elbow, holding a plastic bag with the pet store's logo, recent purchase inside. He looks at Kagami, then Daiki again. "So did you."

Daiki crosses his arms, as irritated at Kuroko finally breaching the subject as he is unsurprised. "What the fuck did Satsuki tell you?" He keeps his voice low, but Kise's being swarmed again anyway, too busy to possibly be listening in.

"Kagami-kun is the one who told me. I think he really likes you."

Daiki's stomach clenches along with his jaw. "...He's so...stupid."

"True," Kuroko smiles. "But I know you're not. Not stupid enough to pass up someone like him."

Daiki snorts, trying not to let himself get too excited. "What are you, his father?"

 

 

 

 

 

Momoi taps on the cage bars, but the kitten only blinks at her before returning to its nap. "You live alone, right, Kagamin? Why can't you adopt it?"

"Don't have time for a cat. Plus I think that thing was half demon," Taiga says, sucking his scratched thumb. "It'd probably shred the furniture."

Momoi stands with her hands behind her back, gauging Taiga with shrewd eyes that make him more than a little nervous. Tendrils of hair flutter about her face, having dried in wispy strands after getting so sweaty during their ball game.  She'd put valiant effort in, even managing to sink a basket (though Taiga strongly suspected Kise of going easy on her...which he didn't really disapprove of.) "Doesn't it get lonely sometimes?"

This isn't the first time he's been asked this question, and he answers truthfully. "Not really. I see everyone at school and practice and stuff."

"I can't believe you clean and do all the grocery shopping yourself," Momoi says, shaking her head. "Dai-chan would be _useless_ on his own. Oh, I'm getting a headache just thinking about it. He always needs someone to take care of him."

"He can't be that bad," Taiga says, lacking any conviction. It would actually be completely conceivable for Aomine to starve to death if left on his own.

Momoi gives him a look of sheer pity for his ignorance. "One time his parents went to India to visit family...he ate the week's worth of food his mom froze in the first two days and then lived off of potato chips for the rest of the week, it was awful! I brought him food once but he accidentally dropped it...you'd think if he was hungry he'd hang onto it a little tighter, really."

"Well don't worry about him starving," Taiga snickers. "I fed him this morning. See? I don't need a cat if I have _him_ hanging around."

Momoi makes a small noise in her throat, eyes wide and burning with curiosity. "So, did you two-"

"SATSUKI, TAIGA, LOOK AT THESE!" Aomine's deep voice thunders through the store, setting off a chorus of birds and puppies. "Look!" He points excitedly at a wall of tiny glass containers filled with water, stacked neatly on top of each other. Each container hold a beautiful, brightly coloured fish and a couple of pebbles. The fish closest to Aomine follows his waving finger, smoothly gliding up and down within its space to keep up with it.

" Betta fish, two for eleven hundred yen," Taiga reads on the sign.

"I've read about these," Kuroko supplies. "They can survive in fairly harsh conditions. And if you put two of them together in the same bowl, they'll fight to the death."

"So cool," Aomine mutters, entranced by the one still following his finger's movement. "I want one."

"Then get one," Momoi flippantly advises.

Aomine pauses, clearly considering. "Got nowhere to put it. And mom would be mad."

Taiga opens his mouth, then bites his tongue. Then opens his mouth again. "...It can live at my house." _Even though I'll be the one feeding it and cleaning its stupid tank..._

Aomine's eyes shine, reflecting a thousand lights and colours, and Taiga decides taking care of a fish is a sacrifice he's willing to make. Just this once. "This one," Aomine says immediately, his choice obviously premeditated. The one he's chosen has a dark red body and bright, billowy, forked fins. It sparkles like a garnet in the fluorescent light. "I'm calling him Tiger."

"Why? It's not even orange," Momoi says. "None of these even have stripes."

 _Two for eleven hundred,_ Taiga muses. "I'm gonna get this one." He's picked a pure white one, the light filtering through its streamlined fins making it appear semi-translucent. It stares at him, mouth forming a string of soundless _ohs._ "His name is Lunch."

Momoi throws her hands in the air in defeat. "You two are terrible at picking names.  I hope you never have kids."

Kuroko jabs her gently in the ribs and she claps her hands over her mouth. Aomine's still caught up with his new pet, oblivious.

Taiga politely pretends not to have heard her.

 

 

 

 

 

Aomine rests his chin on his folded arms, engrossed in watching the fish swim in their separate bowls while Taiga searches for some cupboard space to store their food flakes and the cleaning supplies the cashier had recommended.

"So. I picked mine 'cause it's kinda chubby and it looks like you," Aomine confides. "Why'd you pick yours?"

Taiga slams the cupboard door closed with the stuff crammed inside, hoping it won't burst open and fly everywhere. "I dunno. It just reminds me of- did you just call me fat?"

Aomine appraises him with one eye. "You will be one day if you keep eating like a hippo." He turns his attention back to the fish. "It's so cool, though. I like it."

"I'm gonna eat _more_ and get _thinner,_ just to spite you," Taiga mutters, already wondering what he should make for dinner. Nothing too terribly filling- he wants popcorn at the movie later. "Oh. What movie do you wanna see tonight?"

Aomine shrugs. "We're still going to one?" He frowns, brow crinkled with disinterest.

"...I thought you wanted to?" He pauses, swallowing. Outside of basketball, he has nothing stimulating to say, nothing to hold Aomine's interest. "You don't have to stay here all the time, you know. Go home."

"Don't wanna." He keeps his eyes trained on his fish, tapping listlessly on the tank. It flits away from Aomine's finger, racing to hide behind the decorative plastic plant anchored down with a suction cup. "I didn't know you wanted to see a movie so badly."

"I don't really know what else we can do. Unless you want to help me do my laundry."

Aomine makes a face that means he probably won't be helping with laundry anytime soon. "You really can't think of anything else to do? I'm getting bored."

Taiga sighs. "I'm not here for your personal entertainment."

"I know that," Aomine snaps. He pushes his chair out and stands, approaching Taiga on soft feet. He seems calm, but his eyes flash, dark and intense. "What one do you wanna see?"

"Huh? I dunno, maybe the one with the-" He's interrupted by Aomine's body pressing close, soft lips on the side of his neck. "The...the...what are you...doing..."

"What I've wanted to do all day," Aomine murmurs, breath hot on Taiga's ear. "Can't do this at the movie theater."

Taiga's heart flutters, shoulders relaxing as his hands find Aomine's hips. They feel as natural as a basketball beneath his palms. "Let's stay here and watch TV instead." His grip tightens as he steps forward, steering Aomine into the living room.

He backs Aomine up to the couch and pushes him down, groping for the remote with one hand. He turns the television on for formality's sake, not even sparing a millisecond to see what's on the screen. Aomine yanks on his shirt, pulling Taiga down beside him.

Their mouths meet, tongues twining together. Aomine groans softly, hands creeping under the hem of Taiga's shirt. Taiga refuses to lose, running his fingers through Aomine's hair and tugging his head back to trail kisses down his throat. He tastes lightly of sweat, salty and good; Taiga darts his tongue out, licking Aomine's skin before gently grazing him with his teeth.

Suddenly there's a sharp change in energy; Aomine pushes hard on Taiga's chest, bunching his fist in his shirt. Taiga lets go in confusion, Aomine sliding out from underneath him, somehow manipulating him so he's sitting straight back, Aomine straddling his lap.

He flashes Taiga a triumphant, devious grin, sitting back to shed his shirt. Taiga feels a tingle of excitement work its way down his spine, shifting his thighs to feel Aomine's rock hard ones slide against him through his shorts. He puts his hands on Aomine's knees, softly at first, then applying more pressure once Aomine urges him on. "I have no idea what I'm doing," he admits, surprised at his own breathlessness.

"Entertaining me," Aomine says, settling down on Taiga's crotch and grinding his hips. He puts his whole body into the movement, abs rippling as his back arches. "Unless you don't want to."

Taiga can't stifle his moan, slipping his hands further up Aomine's legs, feeling the fine hair beneath his shorts. Aomine's hand closes over his, guiding it up his thigh to cup his dick. He moves his hips again, erection grinding into Taiga's palm, against his thighs, heat pooling in Taiga's lower belly.

"Doesn't take much to get it up," Aomine comments casually, tracing the outline of Taiga's erection through his basketball shorts.

"You're hard, too," Taiga points out, breath hitching as Aomine continues to stroke him, hand edging toward his waistband.

"Because you're sexy as fuck," he purrs, voice dark. "Wanna know what I've been thinking about today?"

Taiga digs his nails into Aomine's thighs as a warm hand slips into his shorts, closing around his cock. "Probably...hah...nothing much..."

"You're right," Aomine agrees, unperturbed. "Only one thing. I was wondering what it'd be like to have _this_ ," -he pumps his fist languidly, pressing his thumb against the tip before pulling away- "In my mouth." He brings his thumb to his lips, licking off the sticky moisture he's gathered.

Fire flares down Taiga's limps, boiling his blood. "You're really obsessed with sucking dick, geez."

Aomine smirks. "Always wanted to try it." He tugs on Taiga's shorts, just enough to pull his cock out, eyeing it with a sort of delighted hunger. "What about you?"

Taiga bites his lip as Aomine's fingers wrap around him, touching the sensitive spot on the underside and sending an electric thrill straight through him to his toes. "Never really thought about it."

"What the fuck do you think about when you jerk off then? Besides riding, that is."

"I can't believe I told you that," Taiga gasps, missing the pleasant pressure as Aomine releases him, sliding onto his knees on the floor, nestled between Taiga's legs.

"I can't believe you didn't end up sending me a better picture. I was so fucking horny." His eyes remain on Taiga's cock, which is decidedly more than half-hard, leaking drops of precome. "D'you ever play with your ass?"

Taiga blushes, abs tightening when Aomine closes a fist around him again. "Shit, shit. I...y-yeah. You mean like fingers and stuff?"

"Heh." Aomine looks up through dark lashes, licking his lips."What kind of _stuff?_ "

"I've only used fingers," Taiga pants, sweat trickling down his back. "So far."

"How many?"

"Two."

"Three," Aomine says, leaning forward and lightly blowing on the tip of Taiga's cock. "Feels so much better." He combs his fingers through Taiga's pubic hair, teasing it before pressing his tongue against the base of Taiga's cock, licking a stripe up to the tip before taking him in. Before Taiga's toes have a chance to curl, Aomine pulls off, wiping his mouth. He holds up three fingers for comparison, eyes narrowed.

Taiga covers his flushed face, unsure whether to be proud or embarrassed at the size of his penis. It's never mattered to him before now, but cradled in Aomine's hand, he develops a sudden desire to be exactly the right length and girth to make him happy. "Daiki."

"Yeah?"

"If you're gonna suck me, just do it," Taiga gulps, trying to stamp down the urge to thrust his hips. "Don't make me take matters into my own hands."

A spark glints dangerously in Aomine's eyes, his mouth curling into a satisfied smirk. "Sounds kinky." He licks the palm of his hand, the saliva helping his fist slide more smoothly down Taiga's cock. This time he pumps, slow and smooth, taking Taiga in his mouth again.

Taiga squirms, bracing himself with his hands on Aomine's shoulders. The slick sound of Aomine's mouth on him soon drowns out the meaningless drone of the TV in the corner, and Taiga falls into a rhythm with him, rocking his hips slightly, running his hands through Aomine's soft hair.

The next time Aomine pulls off, it's to take several deep breaths and wipe the saliva from his mouth with the back of his hand. Taiga's cock swells in Aomine's fist, twitching, a spurt of precome dripping onto his knuckles. Taiga's breathing hard himself, studying Aomine's focused expression, heart racing. "Does it taste...bad?" He wishes he'd showered as soon as they got home.

"Just tastes like jizz."

"...Oh?"

Aomine squints up at him. "...Have you...never tasted your own...?"

"No! Why the fuck would I _taste_ my own-"

Aomine rolls his eyes, pulling Taiga down for a kiss by the front of his shirt. He licks slow and deep into Taiga's mouth, tongue heavy and bitter with the taste of Taiga's own precome. He draws Taiga's tongue into his mouth, sucking lightly on it. Taiga clings to him, dizzy at the force of the heat scorching through his body, straight to his cheeks, his nipples, his groin.

"Fuck. Fuck, Daiki." It's Taiga's turn to grab Aomine by the wrist, pressing his hand over his aching cock and grinding against it, desperate for some kind of friction.

Aomine flows right into it, stroking him, drawing him back into his mouth. He closes his eyes, completely focused on the task, cheek stretched out to accommodate as much of Taiga's cock as he can fit. His brows furrow in concentration, hand picking up speed as it continues to move, in time with the way his tongue flicks over Taiga's tip.

Taiga rests his head on the back of the couch, hands clinging to Aomine's shirt, toes tingling and thighs quivering as he gets closer. Aomine takes Taiga slightly further down his throat, testing his limits, drawing back with a wet sound. Taiga shudders, a violent quaking triggered deep in his hips, groaning as he tries to push Aomine off. "Move, _move,_ " he gasps, hips bucking involuntarily.

Aomine pulls off in surprise, just in time for the first spurt of come to splatter across his mouth and chin. He dons the most malevolent grin Taiga's ever seen, continuing to pump his fist as Taiga trembles through his orgasm, cursing power forwards, his own existence, God. Everything, really.

Blessedly, Aomine gives him a minute to catch his breath before asking in a cocky voice, "How was I?"

"Terrible," Taiga chokes, watching Aomine wipe the come off his face using his discarded t-shirt. "I hated it."

"Yeah," Aomine smirks, running his tongue over his bottom lip. "That's gotta be why you just came so fucking hard."

"I'm gonna pay you back for that," Taiga replies, still breathing hard. "...In a minute."

Aomine climbs up next to him on the couch, stretching his legs across the remaining cushions, nestling his head on Taiga's shoulder. "Take your time," he murmurs, voice uncharacteristically sincere. "It's cool even if you don't want to."

Taiga takes a deep breath, resting his cheek on the top of Aomine's head. _So soft..._ "This is why I picked the white fish." The TV plays a rerun of an old show Taiga's already seen a thousand times. He finds it soothing.

Aomine blinks at him, confused. "It's....the colour of jizz?"

"Oh my god, _no!_ Because white is pure, idiot. Or _was_ , until you ruined it."

Aomine snorts, enclosing Taiga's hand in his own. "White is the most boring colour. And change the channel, I hate this episode."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [rosaveritas.tumblr.com](http://rosaveritas.tumblr.com)


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